Fearing the Saints would select Mansoor Delane eighth overall, the Chiefs traded up from nine to six to land the highest-rated cornerback in this year’s draft. If the Chiefs stayed at No. 9, and had someone else taken Delane before then, they would have considered former Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. as a Plan B option, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
It was known that the Chiefs were among the teams with an affinity for Bain entering the draft. Expectations were Bain would come off the board in the top 10 on the heels of a particularly brilliant season in 2025. Bain earned consensus All-America honors after tallying 83 pressures, 54 tackles, 15.5 TFL and 9.5 sacks over 16 games in his final year with the Hurricanes. He nevertheless dropped to pick 15, where Tampa Bay scooped him up. It came as a surprise to the Buccaneers that Bain was still available when they were on the clock.
The Chiefs had a second first-rounder (No. 29), but Bain was long gone by then. They used that choice on ex-Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods before addressing their need along the edge in the second round. With the 40th overall pick, the Chiefs took former Oklahoma defensive end R Mason Thomas. Although Thomas was not as productive as Bain in college, he still held his own at that level. Thomas combined for 63 pressures, 22 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks over the past two seasons, and he picked up a first-team All-SEC nod in 2025.
Upgrading the pass rush was a clear need for the Chiefs entering the draft, making their interest in Bain and their selection of Thomas unsurprising. After tying for 26th in sacks last year, the Chiefs will bank on Thomas to help improve that ranking next season. But had someone else drafted Delane, it could have been Bain – not Thomas – complementing George Karlaftis and Chris Jones in 2026.