Mansoor Delane Showed First Round Skill Set on 2024 Film

During the 2024 season, Cornerback Mansoor Delane showed he has what it takes while playing for Virginia Tech.

He’s since transferred to LSU, but that’s not what this is about.

It’s about gaining a fuller understanding of Delane’s full body of work. It’s about looking back, so we can look forward.

What did he show in 11 games for the Hokies?

He’s a press-man corner through and through.

That’s what he’s built for.

Press-man pass coverage is when a cornerback comes right up on a wide receiver and is so close that he can breathe down the receiver’s neck pre-snap.

Man-to-man.

Nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide.

“Delane Island” is his proverbial address.

This is him.

Set-hut.

Delane has a physical edge to him.

My kind of guy.

He shows the ability to jam the receiver he’s covering with those long ‘ol arms. From there, Delane can flip his hips and go.

Out on this island, it’s all about having the athleticism and pure speed to match the receiver wherever he goes. Whether that be on a straight-line deep vertical route or if the receiver switches it up and breaks off the route on a dime, top-shelf cornerbacks keep in step, mirroring every move stride-for-stride.

Can Delane do that?

Yes.

⎯ He’s capable.

And it’s those traits that have Delane sitting tentatively on my 2026 NFL Draft First Round Value Board.

First impressions

What you just read was how I came to view Delane after watching him throughout the course of a season, but it didn’t start that way.

The first game I watched him in was against Vanderbilt, and I was ’bout ready to write him off.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) confirmed what I was seeing…

They tagged Delane with his second-lowest coverage grade of the 2024 season against Vanderbilt (34.3).

Good thing I’m committed to now studying as much of a prospect’s full body of work as possible.

Inconsistencies

Delane did get better for most of the season, but two things held him back:

• Inconsistent technique
• Got too lax from time to time

What do I mean by that?

Delane loves to crowd receivers at the catch point. Sometimes a little too much. Delane drew four penalties in 2024 (PFF). For example, his love of physicality can cause him not to look back for the ball on a deep vertical route.

He could also give up too much cushion.

On this one, he got caught; there was slight hesitation.

But when he’s on point…he’s on point

There are times during my film study, I thought Delane could end up being the top cover corner in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Wowser.

He looked so good at times, the name “Sauce Gardner” went through my mind. I put a top-5 grade on Gardner back when I wrote for SI Lions Dec. 30, 2021, which was 120 days before the Jets selected Gardner with the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Delane’s got a chance.

It’s in him to do it.

#4 Mansoor Delane (his jersey number at Virginia Tech) 6-foot-0, 190 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2025 Fall Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by NFL Mock Draft Database to be a First-Round prospect as of October 9, 2025

2024 game film evaluated: Vanderbilt, Marshall, Rutgers, Miami, Stanford, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Clemson, Duke, and Virginia (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

PFF: 16 snaps at free safety in 2024

2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Predatory cornerback with an athletic frame. Has a physical, but somewhat reluctant feel to him. Showed football IQ to play off-man and zone coverage. Tends to be an after-the-fact tackler in off-man and zone. Good ball instincts. Fluid movements. Energetic short-area burst. Handsy. Cocky. Uses his hands like braille to guide him at route breakpoints, compensating for slight hip tightness. Doesn’t have the necessary recovery speed if he falls into a vertical trail position. Capable of providing pass and run support.

What to look for during the 2025 college football season

1. Playing the ball or the receiver?

2. Giving receivers too much cushion?

3. Does he show long-distance recovery speed?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. Featured in USA Today. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.