The Kansas City Chiefs were among the most active teams during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
They traded up from No. 9 to No. 6 overall to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. Near the end of the round, they took Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods. Kansas City addressed two of its biggest roster needs with those picks, and each should make immediate impact as rookies in 2026.
Mansoor Delane, Peter Woods Will Wear New Jersey Numbers With Kansas City Chiefs
Delane and Woods shared a photo together from the Chiefs’ facilities on Friday. They held up their jerseys revealing different numbers than they wore in college.
Delane wore No. 4 at LSU, and will now wear No. 5 with the Chiefs. During his three-year tenure at Virginia Tech he sported No. 23. Some notable former Chiefs that wore No. 5 include wide receiver Hollywood Brown, punter Tommy Townsend, and kicker Cairo Santos.
As for Woods, he’ll go wearing No. 11 at Clemson to No. 99 with Kansas City. The last impact player for the Chiefs with No. 99 was another defensive tackle — Khalen Saunders — who played in Kansas City from 2019-2022. Saunders is currently a free agent.
Chiefs Select Edge Rusher R Mason Thomas With Second-Round Pick
GettyEdge rusher R Mason Thomas
Kansas City hit the clock again quickly on Day 2, taking Thomas from Oklahoma. He is a big change from what the Chiefs typically like in their defensive ends, which are big guys with power. Thomas has a smaller frame at 240 pounds and wins with speed.
Thomas played his entire four-year collegiate career with the Sooners. He broke out during his junior season in 2024, recording 23 total tackles (12.5 for loss), nine sacks, and two forced fumbles, earning Second-Team All-SEC honors. Thomas followed that up with 26 tackles (9.5 for loss), 6.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in 2025 as a senior, earning First-Time All-SEC honors.
With the first three rounds officially in the books, here are the Chiefs’ remaining 2026 draft picks:
- No. 109, fourth round
- No. 169, fifth round
- No. 176, fifth round
- No. 210, sixth round
Some of their top remaining needs are at wide receiver, offensive tackle, safety, and linebacker. The Chiefs are still looking for replacements for former starters Leo Chenal (LB) and Jawaan Taylor (RT). This is all fluid, as Brett Veach could make some more trades.
Veach is one of the most aggressive general managers in the NFL, as he proved when he moved up to acquire Delane. Here’s what he had to say about that process.
“We just relied on our data analytics and thought the Saints would be likely to take Delane just there because [they lost] two corners the last two years,” Veach said. “So we went up there and got our guy. It’s funny because three or four weeks ago when we were going through the (top) 30 visits, I bumped Steve (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) and I said we’re going to bring our corner (Delane) in. He said don’t bring him in. Just don’t bring him in. Let’s just Zoom him. Let’s keep it quite. I think we did a good job.”
Chiefs Reveal Mansoor Delane and Peter Woods’ New Jersey Numbers