Mansoor Delane had a choice. He could enter the 2025 NFL draft as a Virginia Tech graduate or run it back one more season in college. He chose the latter, only he did it by transferring to LSU and put himself under the watch of CBs coach Corey Raymond. That move just aged into a first-round pick. Lane Kiffin, although he wasn’t there to see him develop, made sure the nation sees the impact the Tigers have. 

Lane Kiffin hopped on X and reposted a message that showed how Mansoor Delane “bet on himself” and became the “best corner in the country and the first defensive back off board in the NFL Draft.” That decision to come to LSU for his final season turned into a $41.9 million rookie deal with a $26.9 million signing bonus. 

“That’s why you come to LSU,” the post ended. 

Mansoor Delane didn’t just improve at LSU. He exploded with an All-American season and became intriguing enough for the Kansas City Chiefs to trade up and draft him as the sixth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. They made a trade with the Cleveland Browns and sacrificed picks No. 9, 74, and 148 to climb up to No. 6. That move shows how much they trust the LSU CB to make an impact. 

Now, as the top-6 pick, Mansoor Delane is getting a fully guaranteed four-year deal hovering around $42 million, with nearly $27 million hitting his account almost immediately. Per Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti, his first-year income is around $27.7 million, more than what established NFL names like Trent McDuffie have pulled in at $22 million. That’s franchise investment.

This isn’t the only post that Lane Kiffin shared after the decision dropped. He also shared another stat that reinforces LSU’s grip on the “DBU” crown. Mansoor Delane is now part of this exclusive list of the Tiger CBs who got picked in the top-10 in the NFL draft. 

There’s Patrick Peterson in 2011 as No. 5 and Morris Claiborne in the following year as No. 6. The last CB before Mansoor Delane was Derek Stingley in 2022 as the No. 3 pick. Now, he’s only the fourth one on the list. It shows the CB pipeline LSU is building. Now, for all the sacrifice that the Chiefs made to get him, will he be worth it?

Why did the Chiefs go all-in for Mansoor Delane?

The most obvious reason is because the Chiefs’ CB situation was trending toward a reset. They were moving on from 2x Super Bowl champion Trent McDuffie who’s now with the LA Rams. KC also lost Jaylen Watson in free agency. Now, they’re left with just Kristian Fulton, Nohl Williams, and Kader Kohou. 

Delane Mansoor fixes that depth problem. At 6’0 and 187 pounds, he’s not the biggest CB in the class and the 30-inch arms might raise skepticism. But his film shows why teams were willing to overlook the measurables. He logged nearly 2,000 snaps on the outside in college, with minimal slot work. That tells you how KC views him as a plug-and-play boundary defender.

But again, the Chiefs didn’t draft Delane Mansoor to be perfect. They drafted him to stabilize chaos but day one starter is the expectation. At worst, he rotates early with Fulton and Williams. But one thing’s clear. His college decision changed the odds for everyone watching.