As the Kansas City Chiefs made their presence known in the 2026 NFL Draft when it came to the first round on Thursday night, the team would make two picks that have caused a lot of discussion. With the Chiefs trading up to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane and later taking defensive lineman Peter Woods, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. would have an opinion that fans might not like to hear.
In Kiper’s latest column after the conclusion of the first round on Thursday, he would have Kansas City as one of the “questionable picks and reaches” from the first round. With the team trading up to No. 6 to get Delane, dealing a third and fifth round pick, Kiper would say it’s a “slight reach.”
“We have to recognize that the Chiefs gave third- and fifth-round picks to Cleveland to move up to No. 6 to even make this pick. I had Delane as the No. 14 prospect on my board, so it feels like a slight reach. It’s an aggressive move for a team that hasn’t entered a draft with a top-10 pick since 2013,” Kiper wrote.
However, Kiper would mention how the team “has a massive cornerback problem,” especially with Kansas City trading Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson leaving in free agency. Kiper even said how Delane is a “day one starter,” but questions it not being “the savviest move.”
Mel Kiper feels others were more in need for the Chiefs than Peter Woods
As far as the Clemson defensive lineman in Woods at No. 29, Kiper would say that Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston and Missouri pass rusher Zion Young were two other prospects that were the best and would fill in the Chiefs’ needs.
“Instead, Kansas City rolled the dice on an interior lineman whose 2025 production (two sacks) didn’t match his talent. If defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo can coach him up, maybe this looks great in a few years. But I saw more consistent prospects at positions of need sitting there for the taking,” Kiper wrote.
Both Delane and Woods look to prove Kiper wrong, starting their NFL careers in Kansas City.
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