The Cleveland Browns traded back up into the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft to land Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. Given all the pre-draft buzz and hype, watching him slip to No. 58 overall was a pleasant surprise.
The rookie safety seemed to be ascending in training camp, but he was mostly an afterthought early in the season. He played mostly on special teams at first.
McNeil-Warren is now making the most of his growing role on defense.
Through five weeks, McNeil-Warren is Pro Football Focus' No. 1 graded safety among 96 players (89.9). The sample size is limited, but he's also the highest-ranked rookie defensive back, even ahead of Mansoor Delane, who was taken with the No. 6 pick that initially belonged to the Browns.
The Browns found a draft-weekend steal with Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
Defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg is spoon-feeding his rookie safety, and it's hard to blame him. The Browns have two outstanding veteran starters in Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman, so Rutenberg must get creative to get the Toledo product on the field.
McNeil-Warren's production, however, will give the Browns a good problem, as he's just impossible to keep on the bench. He's No. 1 in PFF's coverage grade (83.6), and his run-defense grade (77.3) has been a pleasant surprise.
Through five games, McNeil-Warren has given up just one reception on four targets. Granted, it was for 21 yards and a touchdown, though it came on a surgical pass by Aaron Rodgers and against the human fridge that is tight end Darnell Washington. McNeil-Warren also has two pass breakups.
Standing at 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds, McNeil-Warren is bigger than the average player at the position. His long strides, impressive closing speed, and strong instincts to read and react make him a ballhawk in the making.
The Browns' defense has been better than expected in Myles Garrett's absence and with a first-time defensive play-caller. Rutenberg's decision to go back to a man-first coverage scheme has worked like a charm, though it's also more taxing on the defensive backs.
So far, the Browns have deployed McNeil-Warren mostly as a defensive center fielder, though he's also played near the line of scrimmage some. If he continues to excel, and with the Browns' defense a bit banged up, they might also want to move him around and see how he fares in the slot in certain packages. He's only logged five snaps at nickel.
The Browns have the best problem any team could hope for. All of a sudden, they have more playmakers than they can get on the field at the same time.
McNeil-Warren is making 31 teams look foolish for looking the other way when he was right there for the taking in the second round of the draft.
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