Chiefs News 4/30: ESPN ranks Mansoor Delane third-best pick of draft

Veach said no and then agreed to send those three draft picks to Cleveland, which was looking to take an offensive tackle. That deal ensured the Chiefs would land Delane.

“There’s a lot of trust between the two front offices, which always helps with these trade conversations,” Berry told Epstein. “We felt like we were able to move down from six to nine, get one of our top-three targets … (and) pick up some extra draft capital that we could both use and deploy to maneuver around the board.”

Some social-media “insiders” believed the Chiefs made the deal with Cleveland thinking they could get Ohio State pass-rusher Arvell Reese, but the Giants scuttled those plans. **Which Chiefs Players Could Be on the Roster Bubble After the 2026 NFL Draft? | Sports Illustrated** **Cornerback Kristian Fulton**

In free agency ahead of the 2025 NFL season, the Chiefs signed veteran cornerback Kristian Fulton to a two-year, $20 million contract with $15 million guaranteed. Due to a mix of injury issues and coaching decisions, Fulton suited up in just eight games for the Chiefs in the first year of his deal.

Fulton played 15 defensive snaps in Week 1 and then a total of 14 from Weeks 2-15 combined. In the final three games of the year — with the Chiefs eliminated from playoff contention — Fulton saw 46, 71 and 62 defensive snaps and performed well to round out a bizarre season.

After the Chiefs traded away Trent McDuffie and let Jaylen Watson leave in free agency, Fulton and second-year cornerback Nohl Williams became Kansas City’s likely starting duo for 2026, perhaps giving Fulton a chance to return to form in his age-28 season.

However, by trading up to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane at No. 6 overall, the Chiefs grabbed their presumed top corner of the future, leaving Williams and Fulton to battle for the other starting boundary cornerback role to begin the year.

Fulton could be a Week 1 starter for the Chiefs, or the team could look at his $13 million cap hit for 2026 and decide that $5 million in savings (with a corresponding dead cap hit of $8 million) could be worth cutting Fulton outright if they think the team is in for a repeat of the 2025 saga. **Kay Adams pounds the table for Chiefs to sign 8-time Pro Bowler | Arrowhead Addict** NFL analyst and personality Kay Adams recently paired current free agent pass rusher Cameron Jordan and the Chiefs, while on the air, and made it clear that this is what she wants to see out of Brett Veach in the coming days:

***“I want to make my case here that he does in fact need to be a Kansas City Chief. Big year last year… I don’t know what we’re doing. 10.5 sacks last year.***

***“I know you drafted R Mason Thomas in the second round, but you can’t have too many of these, especially if you want to get back to greatness and win the Super Bowl.”*** **Emmett Johnson already has Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in his corner | Husker Corner** The best part? Just moments after his dreams of playing in the NFL came true, Johnson had already heard from his new QB1.

“[Mahomes] was the first person to text me after I got selected, actually,” Johnson said. “He was just like, ‘Let’s get it, bro.’ He gave me his number and everything, and now, we’ve been in touch.”

**Emmett Johnson receives warm welcome to Kansas City Chiefs**

Mahomes wasn’t the only star to reach out to Johnson after the Chiefs drafted him. Kelce also reached out to the former Husker to share his excitement.

“Kelce was really pumped up, too,” Johnson said. “It took him a couple of days, but he texts me, he’s like, ‘Man, I’ve been out here for a while. If you need something, just let me know.'”

Could you ask for better players in your corner than the pair of three-time Super Bowl-winning offensive stars? Not to mention the fact that Mahomes was named the SB MVP in all three victories.

“It was really welcoming to see them two, Rashee Rice, [Xavier] Worthy, all of them kind of just texted me. I feel like that is a credit to how they do things there at Kansas City,” Johnson said. “I feel like it’s a big brotherhood. That’s what Nebraska was, too.”

**Around the NFL**

**Sources: Texans, Azeez Al-Shaair agree to 3-year, $54M extension | ESPN**

The Texans continued their offseason spending spree by agreeing to a three-year, $54 million contract extension with Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, sources told NFL Network.

Al-Shaair’s deal marks another extension for Houston this offseason. Two weeks ago, the Texans and All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. agreed to a historic three-year, $150 million extension that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback ever. All-Pro defensive end Danielle Hunter got a one-year, $40 million deal and tight end Dalton Schultz received a one-year, $12.6 million extension. The Texans also gave kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn a two-year, $13 million contract extension.

Al-Shaair had his first Pro Bowl season in 2025 after totaling 103 tackles, two interceptions and nine pass deflections. He has been in Houston for two years after playing with the Tennessee Titans in 2023.

He wore the “green dot” on defense as he relayed the playcalls from Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke for the No. 1-ranked total defense (277.2 yards per game) and No. 2 scoring defense (17.4 points per game) last season. There were also times when Al-Shaair called the plays himself when the opposing offense was in hurry-up mode. **Justin Simmons, Pro Bowl safety and 3-time Man of the Year nominee, retires as Bronco | The Athletic** Justin Simmons joined the Denver Broncos during the 2016 NFL Draft, bits of confetti from the team’s Super Bowl 50 win still floating around the city. He left the Broncos in the spring of 2024, just months before the team earned its first playoff berth in nine long years.

Simmons didn’t get to experience much in the way of team success during his eight years in Denver. He was a part of only one winning season — a 9-7 campaign during his rookie year — and was part of a Broncos team in 2017 that suffered through an eight-game losing streak, the franchise’s longest since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

Yet, when the 32-year-old Simmons officially announced his retirement from the NFL as a Bronco on Wednesday morning, he did so as one of the most accomplished and revered safeties in franchise history — and one of the team’s most impactful community figures. His retirement comes exactly 10 years to the day Denver selected him in the third round of the 2016 draft out of Boston College.

“Being a Denver Bronco was more than just a team,” Simmons said in a video announcing his retirement posted by the Broncos. “It was my heart, my home and my story.” **Former NFL player Mauro dies aged 35 | BBC Sport** The British-born defensive end played 80 games between 2014 and 2021, most of them for the Arizona Cardinals.

His father Greg has confirmed on social media, external that he died last Thursday. His cause of death has not been revealed.

“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Josh Mauro,” the Cardinals said in a statement.

“Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all who knew him. We extend our deepest condolences to everyone grieving this loss.”

Mauro, who also played for the New York Giants, Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars, was born in St Albans when his father worked in the UK. His family moved back to the USA when he was three.

**In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride**

**Chiefs Draft: Best player, value and other superlatives for 2026 class**

**The “Boom-or-Bust” pick** **Round 1, pick 29:** Defensive tackle Peter Woods

There are many paths Woods’ career could take.

On the positive end, Woods has the tools to be a high-end defensive tackle. His combination of balance, agility, and explosiveness is enticing. He can hold up as a run defender against all sorts of blocks because he can recover and strain against blocks. He’s a slippery pass rusher who can blow up plays. He has experience playing multiple techniques. There is plenty of upside with Woods if he can develop as a pass rusher.

On the negative side, Woods is not a good pass rusher right now. He struggles to use his hands to sequence pass-rush moves. His hands don’t bring much violence, and he struggles to control or get off blocks. If Woods doesn’t slip a block and cleanly get upfield, he makes little impact as a pass rusher.

If Woods can develop moves and add power to his hands, his upside is high. But if he can’t, his ceiling gets much lower. It all comes down to how well he can mitigate his lack of arm length as an NFL player. There is upside to be a star, but Woods also has real bust potential.

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