Mansoor Delane draft trade grades: Chiefs get aggressive for top need, Browns keep stockpiling originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Kansas City Chiefs loved former LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane so much in the draft they didn't want to take any chances.
With his shutdown-level coverage aligning with their clear top offseason need in the top 10, the Chiefs moved up a couple spots to make sure they weren't sniped.
Here's breaking down whether it was smart of them to give up a little more than one high first-rounder to ensure getting Delane:
2026 NFL DRAFT HQ:Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available
No. 7 overall (first round) pick in 2026 NFL Draft (CB Mansoor Delane)
No. 9 overall (first round) pick in 2026 NFL Draft (OT/G Spencer Fano)
No. 74 overall (third round) pick in 2026 NFL Draft
No. 148 overall (fifth round) pick in 2026 NFL Draft
Delane was too great of a natural replacement for Trent McDuffie, whom the Chiefs traded for the No. 29 overall pick to get them a rare second first-rounder. With a unique top-10 selection, the Chiefs maneuvered a little with the Commanders, Cowboys and other teams lurking to take Delane ahead of No. 9.
Kansas City is in the process of reloading to rebound and go right back to contending for another Super Bowl in the Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid era. Not coming up with Delane would be the bigger disappointment than giving up extra picks to get him for Steve Spagnuolo's latest top cover man.
The Chiefs also couldn't afford to take any chances, given they also lost Jaylen Watson (also to the Rams, in free agency) and Joshua Williams. They were desperate to get Delane in many ways and they got the job done without overspending.
MORE: How Mansoor Delane joins Patrick Mahomes, more in first-round history
The Browns keep up their theme from last year's draft when they made the big move with the Jaguars in the Travis Hunter trade. Fano was a good fallback plan vs. a top wide receiver for them and they also got some flexibility with for Days 2 and 3. Now it's a matter of doing something better with those picks with GM Andrew Berry.
Cleveland didn't need to worry about defense much in the draft and the first round, when offensive linemen such as Fano weren't going off the board, that was much of the story. There is enough wide receiver depth in the draft to upgrade that position early. It was also smart for the Browns to table any quarterback temptation early.
The Browns did well with the picks received in giving up their shot at Hunter. This time, the move made even more sense without one specific player target.
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