Silver Spring Native, Mansoor Delane, drafted to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2026 NFL Draft

In the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, cornerback and Silver Spring native, Mansoor Delane was drafted to the Kansas City Chiefs with the sixth overall pick. The Chiefs moved up on draft night to nab Delane, a player they clearly coveted.

     Mansoor Delane began his football career at Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland. He later transferred to another highly regarded Maryland private school, Archbishop Spalding High School, as he pursued to find a more competitive high school football program to prepare him for college football. “I wanted better for myself. I had some family friends that went to Spalding and recruiting was going really well for them. I saw a great opportunity over there and great coaching. So I took that leap of faith to transfer,” Dalane explained to LSU Athletics. 

     He began his time at Spalding on a sour note, as he was benched during his sophomore season. But Delane stayed focused.  Kyle Schmitt, head football coach at Archbishop Spalding, praised Delane for his response to the adversity and now refers to him as a “model” for his players. Schmitt also mentioned that Delane’s motivation after being benched demonstrated that he was a mature young man. Delane believed that being benched was a “great learning lesson” which humbled him.

     His second season for Spalding had another obstacle to overcome with the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) suspending the season because of Covid-19. Spalding was able to organize games against other local schools like Calvert Hall and Loyola Blakefield before having to also eventually cut the season short because of rising Covid-19 cases in Anne Arundel County. This meant that Delane would only get one full season of high school football in a competitive environment before going off to college. 

     After building up his portfolio in a limited high school football career and becoming a three star football recruit, Dalene received college offers from big power four schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, LSU, and Maryland but ultimately he ended up committing to Virginia Tech on August 11, 2021, before his senior year. Delane later signed with Virginia Tech in December of that year and enrolled in May of 2022.  

     During his final year of high school football, Delane helped lead Spalding to a 10-0 record and a 5-0 record within the conference recording three INTs along with 78 tackles playing as a cornerback and safety on the defensive side of the ball. Delane was also able to play wide receiver during his senior year at Spalding. During the regular season, Spalding were able to get a huge win against WCAC powerhouse, Gonzaga, with Mansoor Delane and the Cavalier defense getting a game winning endzone stop to close out the game. Delane made the game winning tackle near the two yard line on third down. Schmitt described the win as “one of the biggest games we’ve ever won.” Spalding’s first defeat of the season came against McDonough in the MIAA A Conference Semi-Final which ended the hopes of a perfect season for the Cavaliers. After three seasons, head coach, Kyle Schmitt, referred to Delane as “one of the best players” Spalding has ever had and “a monster against high-level competition.” 

Delane began his collegiate football career with a predicament because of a shoulder injury right before preseason practices in August. The injury only limited his participation during August practices as he was able to suit up for eight games and start in four of them for the Hokies in his freshman season. In the eight games, Delane recorded 38 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, I INT, 2 FFs, and led the team with 8 PBUs. In an ACC conference game against Duke, Delane got his first college interception including seven tackles. Mansoor Delane’s success during his freshman season earned him Freshman All-American honors and an honorable mention in the All-ACC selections. 

     Delane’s sophomore season only saw more of the same with a similar stateline and increased playing time. Delane was able to find success with the Hokies during the 2023 football season as they won the Military Bowl against Tulane.

      After bursting on the scene in his true freshman season and making a name for himself in his sophomore season, Delane established him as premier cornerback during his junior year at Virginia Tech. Across 12 games, Delane recorded 54 tackles including 34 solo tackles, 4 PBUs, 2 FFs and led the team with 4 INTs earning himself Third Team All-ACC Honors. Delane’s four interceptions also ranked 3rd in the ACC.

     After his junior season at Virginia Tech, Mansoor Delane announced that he would transfer to LSU for his senior season on December 16th, 2024. According to an article written by Harrison Valentine, an Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives at LSU, Delane  “was highly-touted as the No. 1 corner in the portal, looking for a bigger stage and a larger platform to showcase his talents.”. LSU head football coach, Brian Kelly, also described Delane as “the best corner in the portal.” 

During the 2025 football season, Delane was only able to participate in 11 out of 13 games due to a core muscle injury that he sustained in week four which he continued to battle with all season long. Despite the injury Delane still performed at a high level ending his college football career with 45 tackles, 2 INTs, and a career high 11 PBUs which earned him unanimous First-Team All American Honors and First Team All-SEC. Mansoor Delane was also named a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award after initially being left out of the watch list for the award at the beginning of the season. Delane also only allowed 13 receptions for 147 yards and zero touchdowns on 358 coverage snaps during his final college football season. 

In his first game with LSU against Clemson at Memorial Stadium in primetime, Delane was targeted eight times allowing just one reception, 2 PBUs, and 1 INT which resulted in a passer rating of zero. Two weeks later against Florida, he was targeted six times only allowing 11 yards, recording five tackles and a pass breakup. Across his final four games in his collegiate football career, he was targeted a total of fives times with opposing quarterbacks refusing to throw his way. Delane allowed the lowest passer rating in the country (31.3) among players with 200+ coverage snaps. 

Mansoor Delane had now certified himself as an elite shutdown corner with LSU before declaring for the NFL draft. Many teams entered the draft with their eyes set on selecting the Unanimous All-American cornerback from Silver Spring, Maryland, including the Washington Commanders who had a meeting with Delane prior to the draft but the Kansas Chiefs ended up trading to the 6th overall pick to draft Delane. The Chiefs drafted Delane to replace All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, who the Chiefs traded to the Los Angeles Rams. The Chiefs will be looking to see Delane succeed in the NFL just as he did during his college football career. From Landon to Spalding to Virginia Tech to LSU, Mansoor Delane has demonstrated his growth and ability to be an elite asset to have on the defensive side of the ball and now he will be challenged to lockdown the NFL’s best wide receiver as he begins his new journey with the Kansas City Chiefs.