Kansas City’s rookie class is starting to look like the kind of draft haul that can change a team’s trajectory, and the headliner is cornerback Mansoor Delane.
The Chiefs traded up to grab Delane with the No. 6 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, sending the No. 9 selection, plus 2026 third- and fifth-round picks, to the Cleveland Browns. At the time, the move made sense on paper: Kansas City had already dealt two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams, and then watched Jaylen Watson leave for LA in free agency. Delane, viewed as the draft’s top cover man, stepped into a clear need.
Even with a shoulder injury costing him three of Kansas City’s eight games, Delane has already given the Chiefs plenty to like. That was reinforced Tuesday, when Dane Brugler of The Athletic named him a First Team cornerback on his NFL Mid-Season All-Rookie Team.
“Delane has missed three games because of a right shoulder injury, but he performed at a high level in the five games he was on the field,” Brugler wrote. “Despite playing half the number of snaps as [fellow First-Teamer, Green Bay Packer Brandon] Cisse, he has almost as many passes defended (four) and the same number of interceptions (one).”
When Delane has been out there, he’s been heavily involved. He has played 83% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps in the games he’s been healthy, and he’s put together a stat line that jumps off the page: 27 tackles, three tackles for loss, four passes defended and one interception. He also hasn’t been flagged for a penalty.
Delane wasn’t the only Kansas City rookie to earn recognition from Brugler. Running back Emmett Johnson, a fifth-round pick out of Nebraska at No. 161 overall, landed on the First or Second Team list as well.
Johnson has only 111 rushing yards through eight games, which ranks seventh among rookie running backs, but his real impact has come as a receiver. He has 237 receiving yards on 14 catches, averaging 16.9 yards per grab.
His biggest moment came in the Chiefs’ 28-24 loss to the Denver Broncos, when he hauled in a 73-yard touchdown and finished with five catches for 128 yards. Add his rushing and receiving production together, and Johnson’s 348 total yards lead all rookie running backs.
He’s also the only rookie with both a rushing and receiving touchdown this season.
Kansas City also placed four more rookies on Brugler’s Honorable Mention list. Defensive tackle Peter Woods, the No. 29 overall pick acquired from the Rams in the McDuffie trade, made the cut, along with second-round defensive end R Mason Thomas, selected 40th overall.
The Chiefs’ undrafted free agents got noticed too. Offensive lineman Kahlil Benson has started all eight games at left tackle and has been on the field for all 510 of Kansas City’s offensive plays, while being charged with just two holding penalties.
Safety Xavier Nwankpa earned mention after contributing on 140 special-teams snaps with eight tackles, plus one interception on the five defensive plays he has logged. Woods has played in seven games with 13 tackles and 0.5 sacks, and Thomas has appeared in all eight games with six tackles, a sack and nine QB pressures.
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