Mel Kiper Jr. questions Chiefs' 2 first-round picks

Mel Kiper Jr. questions Chiefs' 2 first-round picks originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Kansas City Chiefs made aggressive moves during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Two first-round picks, including a trade up, highlighted a busy night for the Chiefs as they look to bounce back in the season ahead.

It's just not clear whether they made the ideal moves. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. wasn't necessarily a fan.

He couldn't quite get behind their move up from No. 9 to No. 6 to draft LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.

"There's a lot to unpack here," Kiper writes. "First, 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."

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Kiper does acknowledge that the Chiefs needed a cornerback but still isn't sure this was the way to do it.

"But on the other hand, Kansas City had a massive cornerback problem after trading  and letting  walk in free agency," Kiper writes. "And with the medical concerns around Jermod McCoy's knee, there wasn't another elite CB1 on the board this year. It was no lock that Delane would be there at No. 9, especially with the and picking ahead of the Chiefs. Delane is instinctive and has ball-hawking coverage skills (eight interceptions over his career). He is a day one starter. But between the reach and the draft capital headed to the , I'm not sure this was the savviest move."