49ers Trade No. 58 To Browns; S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren To Stay In Ohio
The Browns have already made three picks in this draft, but they are moving up the board to make a fourth top-60 selection. The 49ers are sending them Nos. 58 & 152 in exchange for Nos. 70 & 107. As a result, Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is heading across the state to play in Cleveland’s secondary.
A three-year starter for the Rockets, McNeil-Warren lit up the stat sheet in his sophomore year as he made plays all over the gridiron. A five-game absence due to injury hurt his junior year production, but the 6-foot-3, 200-pound safety returned for his senior campaign and, once again, showed he was a playmaker. In 35 games as a starter, McNeil-Warren has 207 total tackles, a sack, 11 tackles for loss, five interceptions (one returned for a score), 13 passes defensed, and eight forced fumbles.
The 22-year-old had hopes of becoming only the third Toledo first-round pick, but ultimately, being the target of a second-round trade should be solid consolation. McNeil-Warren boasts a unique blend of size and speed for a rangy safety who can make an impact all over the field. Strong ball skills, quick, fluid hips, and a mastery of the Peanut Punch should give McNeil-Warren a strong chance to carve out a role on a strong Cleveland defense as a rookie.
Cleveland returns both starting safeties in Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman next year, but both players are on contract years in 2026. On a defense that boasts the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, though, McNeil-Warren should feel the freedom to let loose even with limited opportunities and allow his strong instincts to take over. McNeil-Warren’s ability to play anywhere on the field should open the door for some early playing opportunities, and if the Browns allow Delpit or Hickman to walk in free agency, McNeil-Warren would have a clear path to a starting role.
Cowboys Rumors: Styles, Bain, Safeties
The Cowboys are entering the draft with a pair of first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 20), but they might not land two players they deem worthy of first-round selections. Speaking with reporters Wednesday, executive vice president Stephen Jones revealed that they have only given first-round grades to 12 players (links via Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS).
Owning multiple firsts may give the Cowboys the ammunition to move up for one of their favorite prospects, but Jones does not anticipate vaulting into the top five. He said doing so is not a possibility for the Cowboys. That jibes with a report from ESPN’s Dan Graziano, who writes that the Cowboys are more likely to make a “small move up” than do anything drastic.
The Cowboys do not appear willing to surrender the 20th pick to climb the board. If anything, they could trade down from 20 to replenish Day 2 capital, per Graziano. The Cowboys traded their second-rounder to the Jets in last November’s Quinnen Williams blockbuster, leaving a 72-pick gap from No. 20 to their next selection (No. 92).
As of Wednesday morning, Jones said the Cowboys had not many any calls about trading up. Doing so has been a rarity for Dallas, which Graziano notes has not gone up in Round 1 since 2012. But the team is “exploring” what it would cost to move up a few spots for Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles if he lasts into the back half of the top 10, according to Connor Hughes of SNY. Drafting Styles should give the Cowboys a desperately needed off-ball linebacker upgrade. It was a glaring weakness entering the offseason, but it has gone unaddressed thus far.
Edge defender and safety are also among the areas the Cowboys could strengthen in the draft. As expected, this year’s top two safety prospects – Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren – have caught their attention, Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports relays. Having already added two new safeties (Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke) to one edge defender (Rashan Gary), the Cowboys regard the latter position as the greater need, ESPN’s Matt Miller reports. However, they do not see Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. as a fit in rookie coordinator Christian Parker‘s 3-4 defense. Bain is unlikely to make it to 12, but if the Cowboys trade up, it does not appear he will be the target.
Prospect Profile: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
The University of Toledo recently said goodbye to longtime head coach Jason Candle, who will now take over the head coaching job at UConn. It ends an era of unprecedented success under Candle who had worked as an assistant coach for the Rockets for seven years before occupying the top job for the last 10.
In the 1990s, Toledo produced only five NFL picks. The next decade produced only six. In Candle’s decade-long tenure, 11 Toledo players have been drafted. Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell became only the school’s second Day 1 pick and its first since 1993 two years ago. He should be very quickly succeeded this year by projected first-round safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
A Tampa-native, McNeil-Warren expected to play offense at Lakewood HS (FL), where his father worked as wide receivers coach. His coaches, instead, tasked him with playing safety and cornerback as a freshman. Shortly before the winter break of his sophomore year, McNeil-Warren received his first scholarship offer from Candle at Toledo. Shortly into the spring semester, offers from two more Group of 5 schools came through before Miami (FL) came in as the only Florida school to offer him. A year later, after his junior season, Kansas State, Indiana, East Carolina, and Maryland through their hats in the ring.
Multiple injuries in his senior season caused many schools to slowly back off their offers, but Candle and Co. stayed locked in with McNeil-Warren and, ultimately, landed his commitment as a result. McNeil-Warren played sparingly as a true freshman but took over as a standout starter in only his second year with the Rockets. Playing all over the field, he filled up the stat sheet, recording 69 total tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, three passes defensed, and four forced fumbles. His junior year production was hindered due to a five-game absence caused by injury, and he briefly considered transferring for his final year of school before ultimately opting to stay with the school that initially stuck with him as a high school recruit.
Coming back for his senior year, McNeil-Warren lit up the stat sheet. In his final year of college play, he set or matched career highs in total tackles (77), tackles for loss (5.5), sacks (0.5), interceptions (2, one returned for a touchdown), passes defensed (5), and fumble recoveries (2), while tacking on three more forced fumbles. The stat sheet alone tells a huge portion of McNeil-Warren’s story as a player, depicting a disruptive player who can be pesky in coverage and downright dangerous to ballcarriers with loose grips.
Unlike the two other likely first-round safety prospects, McNeil-Warren boasts a tall (6-foot-3), long, broad-shouldered frame. Despite his lanky visage, McNeil-Warren is a smooth runner with with excellent body control and quick hips. He matches up well against tight ends but can use his length and strength to keep smaller, quicker wideouts from getting to too much space and separation. He understands his role on the defense and won’t often be caught out of position, playing with discipline and improved instincts with each year as a starter. He can lay down big hits but, more often, collects himself in front of tacklers to stay in front of them and, often, attempt to punch out the ball.
Unfortunately, these varied levels of aggression at contact can lead to the occasional missed or broken tackles. McNeil-Warren ranges the defense and finds success off great anticipation but could stand to improve in closer coverage. Also, his history of injuries at both the high school and college levels do warrant some consideration.
Most draft rankings have been pretty consistent with the safety position, ranking Ohio State’s Caleb Downs as the only potential top 10 prospect at the position with McNeil-Warren and Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman neck-and-neck about 10-15 picks later. Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Thieneman as S2 and the 18th-best overall prospect with McNeil-Warren as S3 at 23rd overall. Todd McShay of The Ringer is a little lower on both players, putting Thieneman at 21st overall and McNeil-Warren at 32. Daniel Jeremiah, though, of NFL Network is one of the brave few ranking McNeil-Warren (15th overall) over Thieneman (16th).
The injury history may cause concern, but McNeil-Warren’s size-speed combo with elite hip mobility and a knack for punching out fumbles makes him a very likely option to become the third Toledo player ever taken in the first round of the NFL draft. If he can stay healthy at the next level, McNeil-Warren could rival some of the recent success stories for tall, versatile young safeties like Nick Emmanwori and Kyle Hamilton before him.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren Visits Patriots, Browns, Cowboys, Falcons, Steelers
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs has long been considered the top player at his position in the 2026 draft class. Evaluators are split between Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren for the No. 2 spot, but both are considered potential first-round picks.
McNeil-Warren has been making the rounds with a number of teams who will be on the clock in the back half of the first-round. He has already visited the Patriots, Browns, Cowboys, and Falcons, with the Steelers on tap for Friday, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. The first three of those teams could use an upgrade at their third safety spot right away with starters who are older and/or set to hit free agency in 2027.
The Patriots, who have the 31st pick, lost Jaylinn Hawkins in free agency and signed Kevin Byard to pair with 2025 fourth-rounder Craig Woodson. But Byard is 33 years old with a one-year deal, so McNeil-Warren could learn from the veteran as a rookie and succeed in him the long-term.
Browns starting safeties Ronnie Hickman and Grant Delpit are both in the last year of their deals, and the current roster lacks a high-level No. 3 who could step into a starting role if necessary. The competition jump from the Mid-American Conference to the NFL is steep, but McNeil-Warren could certainly contribute in a box role right away. Cleveland holds the 24th and 39th picks, either of which could be a landing spot for the Toledo standout.
The Cowboys, drafting at No. 20, retained Malik Hooker and added Jalen Thompson and PJ Locke this offseason. Thompson is the youngest at 28 years old, and Hooker and Locke are both on one-year deals. After a rough year for their pass defense, Dallas could use a short- and long-term upgrade at safety.
The Steelers and Falcons, however, seem to have more set safety situations. Pittsburgh has Jalen Ramsey signed through 2028 and DeShon Elliott through 2027 with Jaquan Brisker and Darnell Savage on one-year deals. They could stand to add some youth to their safety room, but allocating the No. 20 overall pick to the position this year only makes sense if they have a very high grade on McNeil-Warren.
Atlanta has an even better starting duo in Jessie Bates and Xavier Watts with 2025 fourth-rounder Billy Bowman and former Eagle Sydney Brown as depth. Bates is 29 years old and entering the final year of his contract, but he has expressed a desire to retire a Falcon. Bowman was also a full-time player before his Achilles injury, and he should be back on the field close to the start of the regular season. The Falcons do not have a first-round pick, but McNeil-Warren could be a value play in the second round, where Atlanta has the No. 48 pick.
Browns Making WR A Potential First-Round Focus
The Browns aren’t doing much to hide one of their main focuses for the 2026 NFL Draft. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported yesterday that the team has hosted several wide receivers for top 30 visits in the past few days. 
Cleveland hasn’t lost much in its receiving corps to free agency and, just this week, added former Ravens return specialist Tylan Wallace to the room. The Browns are set to return Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, and Cedric Tillman to a passing attack that finished second-to-last in the NFL last year on the arms of three competing quarterbacks. Though things may still change, this year’s group isn’t expected to be dealing with as much uncertainty, with the expectation being that second-year passer Shedeur Sanders will compete with a recovering Deshaun Watson for QB1 honors.
Given the sheer number of returning bodies at the position, Cleveland likely isn’t aiming to build depth. Based on their early reported visits, the aim appears to be adding a starting-caliber receiver that can complement the playmakers currently in the building. We saw yesterday their plans to host Washington wideout Denzel Boston days after bringing in Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and Ohio State’s Carnell Tate (as well as Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson). Considering those three pass catchers are three of NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah’s top five receivers, a first-round wideout could easily be in the Browns’ immediate future.
Those three aren’t alone in competition for Cleveland’s favor, though. Per Cabot, USC’s Makai Lemon, Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., Alabama’s Germie Bernard, and Louisville’s Chris Bell have all been subjects of the Browns’ pre-draft homework. The team has hosted all of them at some point in the past few days, as well as Miami (FL) offensive tackle Markel Bell, Oklahoma edge rusher R Mason Thomas, and Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
It doesn’t seem the Browns are looking for any one particular attribute in a potential first-round receiver. The prospects they’ve looked at thus far range in body size, speed, and abilities. Some excel at making contested catches, while others specialize in yards after catch, and others still make route-running an art. Whether they’re looking for an upgrade in the slot, a big-bodied red-zone target, or someone to take the top off the defense, they appear to have no shortage of options or interests.