As expected, LSU football star cornerback Mansoor Delane has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. After earning unanimous first-team All-American honors and finishing as a finalist for several major defensive awards, Delane will close his college career and head to the next level.
Even though the draft isn’t until April, several top analysts have already ranked Delane among the prospects they’ve scouted and weighed in on where he might be selected come April.
Arguably the most prominent analyst in the space is The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, who ranked Delane 19th on his Top 50 prospects list from early November. Here’s what he had to say about the LSU star:
“When Delane ultimately gets dinged at the NFL Scouting Combine because of his lack of elite length and speed, just turn on the tape and watch his sticky coverage for a quick reminder why he deserves to be a first-round pick,” wrote Brugler.
In his mock draft published earlier this month, Brugler had Delane selected seven spots ahead of his ranking, with the Miami Dolphins selecting him 12th overall.
The consistent knock on Delane is that teams worry his relatively average athleticism and size will cause him to struggle at the next level. Despite those perceived issues, Delane faced some of the top competition at the college level and didn’t bat an eye. If teams decide they’d rather draft based on testing numbers than tape, it seems likely Delane will make them regret it.