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The Kansas City Chiefs went all in on their defensive unit during the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting defensive players with all of their top three picks. General manager Brett Veach was determined to reload and pave the way for a new generation of defenders to take over.
The crown jewel of KC's draft class was LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, who was the franchise's earliest-ever selection on a corner. Despite battling a shoulder injury that has bothered him since the Chiefs' minicamp in June, Delane has been highly effective and shown promising traits when he's been on the field.
In last week's loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, Delane did experience some "welcome to the NFL" moments when squaring off with Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He didn't line up with him every rep of the night and held his own at times, but JSN was certainly the toughest challenge Delane has faced in his young NFL career. The Seahawks' superstar finished the contest with 150 yards and a touchdown.
Regardless of his showing last game, fellow first-round rookie Peter Woods — who was selected 23 picks after Delane at No. 29 — remains fully confident in his defensive counterpart. During his media appearance on Friday, the rookie defensive lineman discussed why he has so much faith in Delane and what the two can become as they continue to develop together.
"I'm always there for him. He's a tremendous player," Woods said about his teammate. "I trust him with the backside of me because that's what he does. I'm ready to see him continue to blossom and bloom into the player he's going to be, as well as myself. We're doing that together since we came in together."
Admittedly, it has been a quiet first six games for the Clemson product to this point. Woods has played 46.3% of the defense's snaps while rotating with Khyiris Tonga on the inside, but it hasn't resulted in much production. He currently has three solo tackles, two QB pressures, and half a sack across 190 defensive reps.
It's always difficult to judge interior linemen by statistics in a limited sample size, but Pro Football Focus grades echo this sentiment, too. Woods' 50.8 defensive grade ranks No. 96 out of 126 qualifying defensive tackles in the league, and his 43.4 run defense grade is one of the NFL's worst marks.
Even with Woods' early struggles, he has plenty to learn from veterans like Chris Jones. He talked about how he and the rest of the defensive linemen have responded after the rookie suffered his first NFL defeat.
"It was rather interesting being in the locker room and listening to some of the things the leaders were reiterating about getting back on track and getting hit in the mouth and figuring out what we can do to be better," Woods stated. "I think one of the older guys gave me advice that whenever you lose a game, that's when you should look in your personal mirror most and figure out how you can benefit the team to get a win."
No matter how you spin it, Woods has been a defensive staple on a 5-1 Chiefs group at just 21 years old. As he and Delane get better and gain more experience, they could both be forces to be reckoned with for years to come.
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