By Jake Faigus
Copyright clutchpoints
The 2025 LSU football season has started well. The Tigers’ most significant improvement has been their defense’s performance compared to the offense. This game against Ole Miss represents the biggest challenge for the defense yet, based on how Ole Miss’s offense has been playing coming into this game, led by breakout star Trinidad Chambliss. The defensive improvements are also turning heads in the NFL.
CBS Sports college football insider Matt Zenitz wrote about how LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane has been soaring up draft boards along the defensive side of the ball. Zenitz said he heard from four different NFL scouts and front office officials who mentioned Delane rising. An NFL assistant general manager told him that Delane is putting himself in the mix to be a first-round pick and one of the top five cornerback prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Last year’s tape, if you’re watching Virginia Tech tape, you see a good athlete and you see skills and traits, but he’s just now making more plays and playing more disciplined,” an NFL scouting director said. “I thought the tape was wildly inconsistent last year, and it feels like a guy that’s taken the next step.”
Mansoor Delane started his college career at Virginia Tech, where he played for three seasons before transferring to LSU. The Maryland native stayed close to home initially after being a three-star recruit out of high school. His play with the Hokies earned him a big payday and upgrade when he transferred to LSU.
He has recorded four pass breakups, an interception, and nine tackles through four games. At 6-feet and 190 pounds, he has excellent size as a cornerback, and his success at LSU has allowed him to shoot up draft rankings.
The LSU defense desperately needed improvement. It was awful in Brian Kelly’s first season, improved last season, and is now the best defense he has had in Baton Rouge through three seasons.
More good news for this defense is that linebacker West Weeks should be back. They will need all their help to try to contain Chambliss and this Ole Miss offense.
