The Chiefs have made no secret of their belief in Mansoor Delane. They traded up to land the LSU cornerback in the first round, convinced he can grow into a star. But that kind of confidence comes with a built-in warning label: Kansas City just moved on from a player who already sits among the league’s best.
Trent McDuffie, the former Chiefs cornerback, landed fifth in Jeremy Fowler of ESPN’s top ten NFL cornerbacks ranking, and the comments attached to his spot told the story. One scout lauded McDuffie’s versatility, while Fowler wrote that “some evaluators believe he's best inside because of his strength, short-area quickness and competitiveness.”
McDuffie’s value was once a talking point when he said he wanted to reset the market for top cornerbacks, and the money eventually followed. The Los Angeles Rams paid a steep price to get him, sending first-, third-, fifth- and sixth-round picks to acquire him before handing him a four-year, $124 million deal.
The praise around McDuffie was strong across the board. An NFC scout called him "One of the top coverage corners in the league," and added: "He can cover in the perimeter or the slot, can play man or zone, can pressure the quarterback, can play Cover 2 well and can jam and re-route. [He] has plus zone vision."
Fowler also noted that McDuffie’s 6.2 yards per target was tenth-lowest in the league among ranked cornerbacks, another marker of how difficult he’s been to throw against.
The Chiefs are hoping Delane can match that standard or climb even higher, but there’s already a complication. He dealt with a shoulder injury in OTAs and minicamp, cutting into the early optimism around his arrival.
Kansas City has also reshaped the rest of its secondary, with Nohl Williams projected to start at the other corner spot. Williams earned extended playing time in a late-season tryout and handled himself well, but the Chiefs are still betting big on a group with plenty to prove.
That’s the reality now: top corners get paid like top corners, and McDuffie’s new place on Fowler’s list only sharpens the pressure on Delane. Kansas City didn’t just draft a cornerback. It drafted the player it hopes can justify letting one of the league’s best walk away.
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Thomas brings the kind of athletic upside that makes coaches lean in, but he is still a work in progress and will need Steve Spagnuolo to shape the raw parts of his game. The bigger question for Kansas City is whether Thomas can turn that talent into consistent pressure and eventually join the conversation with the leagues best edge rushers, especially with division rivals already getting that kind of recognition. [Read more 🡒]