The Dolphins need to pick cornerback Mansoor Delane if he’s there. Here’s why
There’s one school that NFL franchises consistently go to when in need of defensive backs.
From Patrick Peterson and Derek Stingley Jr. to Tyran Mathieu and Jamal Adams, the LSU Tigers have consistently produced some of the top defensive backs that NFL has seen in recent memory. Now, cornerback Mansoor Delane plans to soon join that list.
As the NFL Draft looms, there will be a lot of speculation about whom the Dolphins select with their No. 11 overall pick. The needs are enormous — cornerback, safety, edge rusher, wide receiver, offensive linemen, etc. — yet not everyone deserves that premium selection. That said, let the former LSU standout fall to the Dolphins and it would be a match made in heaven — the only question is will he still be there?
“It’s a standard that’s upheld,” Delane said during the NFL Combine, referring to how LSU develops players to make an impact at the next level. “We don’t believe in just being busts. We believe in upholding who you are as a person, going into that league and continuing to adhering to that standard.”
Added Delane: “It’s not make it to the NFL and you get complacent. It’s wanting to conquer a whole other level of the game, and I think that’s what makes LSU players so great: we want to dominate at the next level as well.”
If a team values elite size at cornerback then Delane could potentially fall. His measurables — 5-foot-11 and 3/4 inches with a weight of 187 pounds — aren’t amazing. Some teams don’t believe in his long speed — even if he just blazed a 4.38 40-yard dash.
But turn on the tape and it’s clear why Delane has firmly entrenched himself as CB1 in this draft.
“That’s what you wanted to see from him,” Mathieu said of Delane’s 40-time on an episode of the “In The Bayou” podcast. “He’s not the biggest corner but he’s feisty, he’s competitive, he’s a typical LSU DB.”
In man coverage, receivers find it difficult to separate when matched up against Delane. The outside cornerback uses an array of moves to not just engage receivers at the line of scrimmage but combines that with great footwork to smoothly open his hips and stay sticky to pass-catchers as they run their route.
Take Delane’s fourth-quarter rep against the University of South Carolina, for example. With less than six minutes left, the Gamecocks found themselves with a fourth-and-4 deep in Tigers territory. Delane anticipates receiver Vandrevius Jacobs’ 5-yard comeback and utilizes the sideline as an extra defender, staying on his hip the entire time before eventually sticking his hand in to break up the pass.
As Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers unfortunately discovered, Delane can quickly shut down windows and get his hands on the ball. Consider this: Delane didn’t allow a touchdown or incur a penalty during his 2025 campaign in which he finished with two picks, 11 pass deflections and 45 combined tackles. Despite a successful season that ended with him being named an unanimous All-American, Delane wanted to turn more of those pass breakups (PBUs) into interceptions.
“I want to take the ball away more,” Delane said. “That’s a bigger area of improvement for me. I want to be a game-changer. Teams will keep throwing at you if you keep getting PBUs rather if you just take the ball away.”
In zone coverage, Delane shows great understanding of route concepts and uses his quickness to make plays. That specifically showed up in the third quarter of the season opener against Clemson when Delane made his first interception in Cover 3 defense. As Delane sunk into his deep third, he noticed Clemson receiver Cole Turner’s attemept to sneak up the seam from the slot.
Although Turner might have been open for a second, quarterback Cade Klubnik threw the ball high and late, allowing Delane to abandon his zonee anad pluck the ball out of the air.
“That’s one of my greatest attributes: I’m very scheme versatile,” Delane said during the Combine, reminding people that he also has experience at nickel. “You can fit me in any scheme and I’ll excel at it.”
Despite his stature, Delane has a nasty physicality to him, something that allows him make plays in the run game. He turned heads at the combine when asked about that toughness.
“If I had the choice, I’d play middle linebacker in college,” Delane said. “I just love physicality, I love tackling, I love being in the box. Being able to bring those attributes over to safety, being a corner, it just makes it easier. A lot of corners might be scared to tackle but I love that.”
With coach Jeff Hafley’s expertise in the secondary, the ability to add a player with Delane’s shutdown potential would be huge.
