Former LSU football standout cornerback Mansour Draughn is viewed by many analysts as the No. 1 cornerback in the 2026 NFL Draft. While he’s not expected to shine at the combine, DeLeon’s tape and numbers from the 2025 season paint a picture of a future Pro Bowler.
That remains the case when looking at the 2026 NFL mock draft recently released by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, one of the most respected analysts in the field. He had DeLine at No. 13 overall to the Los Angeles Rams, but one thing changed this time around from the simulation he posted in December: DeLine wasn’t the first cornerback drafted.
CLEMSON, SC – AUGUST 30: Mansoor Delane #4 Zavion Thomas #0 and West Weeks #33 of the LSU Tigers celebrate their interceptions in the third quarter against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium on August 30, 2025 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Katie Jarnak/Getty Images)
This time, Brugler started Tennessee’s Jermaine McCoy as his first cornerback, two spots ahead of Delaine. Even though McCoy missed the entire 2025 season due to a torn ACL he suffered the year before, many top draft analysts still considered him to be at or above DeLaine’s level.
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The main reason for this, aside from McCoy’s impressive campaign in 2024, is that he fits the profile of what NFL teams want to see in a cornerback. The former Volunteer is more athletic than Delaine and his arm length is closer to that of a prototypical cornerback at the next level, an important benchmark for many teams. Even though Deline is having arguably the best season at cornerback in the country in 2025, McCoy could be drafted ahead of him simply because teams believe he has a higher ceiling at the next level.
However, it doesn’t particularly matter whether DeLeon is the first cornerback off the board. If he continues to show off the quality of LSU’s elite defense in 2025, Derain will make teams that pass on him regret it.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Where is LSU football’s Mansoor Delane in the latest NFL mock draft?
