9. Kansas City Chiefs: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
The Kansas City Chiefs should be considered a pretty wide-open team in the 1st round of this year’s draft. Because of the depth at the tight tackle position, and the lack of top-end guys at cornerback by comparison, I think this is the way they’ll prioritize their biggest needs. However, don’t be shocked at all to see a tackle for Kansas City here, or even a move for an edge rusher.
The Chiefs have more needs than usual, but their cornerback position was absolutely gutted. And even if you think Kaiir Elam was a worthwhile dart to throw as a reclamation project, this position has to be a priority, maybe a couple of times early on for the Chiefs in this draft.
10. Cincinnati Bengals: Caleb Downs, SAF, Ohio State
Taking a star player with a high floor out of Ohio State seems like as safe of a bet as the Bengals could possibly make here in the 1st round of the 2026 NFL Draft. There probably hasn’t been a more frequently predicted player-team fit than this one, at least outside of Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders.
Caleb Downs is the top safety in a pretty loaded class at the position, especially when it comes to first-round prospects. He’s one of a number of pieces the Bengals truly need for their defense, but given how high his ceiling and floor seem to be at the next level, they can’t pass this chance up. Unless one of the top EDGE guys falls into their laps, I don’t even think this would be a very difficult decision.