The major action of NFL free agency has passed, and football fans are now officially in countdown mode towards the 2026 draft, which begins on Thursday, April 23rd.
The Kansas City Chiefs could go many different directions with the No. 9 and No. 29 picks in the first round, including doubling up on one side of the ball. For NFL.com, draft analyst Eric Edholm authored a mock draft that featured the Chiefs doing that for the defense.
Pick 9
Kansas City Chiefs
Mansoor Delane — LSU, CB, SeniorWith two of their starting corners heading to the Rams this offseason (Trent McDuffie via trade and Jaylen Watson via free agency), the Chiefs have a tough time passing on the top option here. Delane is a press-man corner who gets physical in the run game, too. That’s what coordinator Steve Spagnuolo seeks at the position.
Pick 29
Kansas City Chiefs
Malachi Lawrence — UCF, Edge, SeniorI’ve been accused of trying to hit too many fairways in past mocks, so here’s me whipping out the driver and going for the green. Lawrence has been a hot name in the pre-draft process. With his length, size and explosiveness (40-inch vertical, 10-10 broad jump, 1.59-second 10-yard split), the UCF product fits K.C.’s benchmarks for an edge rusher.
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My analysis
In a class that has intriguing defensive playmakers at different positions towards the top of the board, Delane and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs are the only ones available after the following players were drafted prior:
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Pick 2, New York Jets: Arvell Reese — Ohio State, LB/Edge, Junior
Without a chance at the top front-seven players in the draft, Edholm elects to give the Chiefs the draft’s top cornerback rather than the top safety, citing the vacant playing time left by the departures of McDuffie and Watson.
Measuring at nearly 6 feet tall and 187 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, with 8 7/8-inch hands and 30-inch arms, Delane has a similar physical profile as McDuffie, who measured just under 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 193 pounds, possessed 8 3/4-inch hands and 29 3/4-inch arms at the 2022 combine.
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Over three seasons at Virginia Tech and a 2025 campaign spent with LSU, Delane aligned in the slot for just 5% of his snaps. That is also a similarity to McDuffie, who entered the 2022 draft with just 2% of snaps spent as a slot defender at the University of Washington.
In 2025, Delane was one of the hardest cornerbacks to complete a pass against in all of college football. As the top cornerback for the Tigers, he only allowed 14 of 35 passes thrown his way to be completed, and did not allow a touchdown according to Pro Football Focus’ premium stats. With seven pass breakups and two interceptions, Delane forced a passer rating of 31.3 when targeted at LSU.
He was rarely used as a blitzer — tallying just six pass-rush opportunities in 2025 — so Delane was not much of a difference-making tackler; he tallied zero tackles for loss or sacks with LSU.
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Throughout his four-year career, Delane had seven tackles for loss and never earned a sack. Again, for comparison’s sake, McDuffie entered the draft with 4.5 career tackles for loss and just one sack over three seasons at Washington.
The playmaking of McDuffie, outside of his coverage skills, was not foreshadowed by his college profile, so Delane could be similarly developed into an all-around playmaker if taken with the team’s top pick in the draft.
As for the team’s selection at No. 29, Edholm matches one of the biggest risers of the pre-draft process to Kansas City — despite not looking to be a fit into the Chiefs’ scheme.
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With on-field access at the East-West Shrine Bowl in January, the Arrowhead Pride staff got a close look at one of the week’s standout players in Lawrence. He is a smooth, sharp rusher off the edge — but one that does it with finesse and quickness more than power.
Over four years at UCF, Lawrence totaled 28 tackles for loss and 20 sacks, but never had more than 7.5 sacks in one single season. He forced three fumbles over his final two seasons.
His lack of play strength shows up once the offensive lineman can engage with him, locking up Lawrence and preventing him from shedding more easily than defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo would approve of in a starting defensive end.
He looks to be more of a stand-up outside linebacker that another team could get the most of, even if he has a physical foundation that fits in Kansas City and could potentially be built on: 6 feet 4 inches tall, 253 pounds and 33 5/8-inch arms.
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If the momentum Lawrence is experiencing, since making a name for himself at the combine, cools off, that’s when he feels more enticing in a class full of intriguing defensive linemen. He wouldn’t be as immediate a contributor as many others who tend to be available to the Chiefs at picks No. 29 and No. 40 in mock drafts.
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