Mentioned as a possible first-round pick, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren needed to wait much longer to hear his name called in this year’s draft. The Browns swooped in to keep the Toledo prospect in Ohio, taking him off the board at No. 58.
The Browns moved up 12 spots for McNeil-Warren, who has signed his rookie contract Thursday. Like all draft deals beyond Round 1, this is a four-year deal. McNeil-Warren took a “30” visit to Cleveland, one of many for the high-end safety prospect, in March. The Browns now have nine of their 10 2026 draftees — all but first-round wide receiver KC Concepcion — signed to their rookie deals.
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McNeil-Warren is now set to make his home in northeast Ohio, where he will join a Browns team rostering Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman. The Browns have Delpit signed to an extension, while they applied a second-round RFA tender to Hickman in March.
Teaming with 2024 Eagles first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell in Toledo’s secondary for two seasons, McNeil-Warren intercepted five passes and forced nine fumbles with the MAC program. Our Ely Allen submitted a thorough prospect profile on the mid-major prospect before the draft, and Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board — which slotted McNeil-Warren 15th overall — viewed the Browns as landing a steal late in Round 2.
A rangy ballhawk who was sticky in coverage with the Rockets, McNeil-Warren will need to make a substantial competition jump. Mitchell had no trouble with that vault, however, and Browns GM Andrew Berry‘s twin brother (Eagles exec Adam Berry) observed that rise closely. A third-team All-American last season, McNeil-Warren clocked a 4.52-second 40 time at the Combine. The 6-foot-3 DB prospect was viewed as a player who would join Caleb Downs and Dillon Thieneman in Round 1, but he ended up needing to wait 33 picks after Thieneman to be selected. McNeil-Warren was this draft’s fourth safety chosen, also going after Arizona’s Treydan Stukes (38th, Raiders).
Cleveland traded up 12 spots (via the 49ers) for McNeil-Warren, who certainly has a path to a regular role on an experienced defense in the near future. Delpit and Hickman are in contract years, pointing to a runway for McNeil-Warren to grow into a starter by the 2027 season at the latest.
The Seahawks signed their second-round safety (TCU’s Bud Clark) to a deal that includes two fully guaranteed years, with $1.15MM of his 2028 base salary locked in as well. This year’s No. 53 overall pick, Colts LB C.J. Allen, received three years fully guaranteed plus another $638K in Year 4. McNeil-Warren could reasonably land three fully guaranteed years on this pact, as second-rounders continue to make widespread gains on the guarantee front.