Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is an interesting player who will likely go in the first round and be the second safety off the board.
Accolades
- 2025 Second-Team All American
- 2025 First-Team All-MAC
NFL Comparison: Jaquan Brisker
Pros:
- Hard hitter. Consistently makes his presence felt to running backs and pass catchers.
- Good tackler. Even when he isn’t lighting people up, he’s a very good form tackler and frequently makes open field tackles.
- Allows for versitility on the back-end with his ability to play both in the box and deep in the defense.
- Huge frame at 6’3″, 201 lbs. Athleticism is great as well to combine for an ideal build at safety.
- Tremendous “peanut punch” ability, amounting in nine forced fumbles over his college career.
- Drive on the ball is quick and twitchy, plays with great instincts
Cons:
- He won’t be an above average coverage safety, won’t be able to leave him as a single high satety consistently.
- Can sometimes overcommit in both the run and pass game which can lead to bigger plays.
- His feet can get flat in coverage when transitioning in coverage
- Vertical speed isn’t great, can get beat overtop if he isn’t a step ahead.
Fit with the Bills:
I think McNeil-Warren would be a great pick at 26 for the Bills. His stock is fluctuating right now with his projected pick being anywhere from 12 all the way to falling out of the first round, so he’s another guy the Bills may have to move up a few spots for. If taken by Buffalo, he’d be a starter immediately, pairing a duo with fellow safety Cole Bishop. As I mentioned, he isn’t going to be a pure coverage safety, which why pairing him with Bishop would work out great. Having Bishop as a single high safety in the 3-4 defense new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard wants to run would allow McNeil-Warren to play primarily in the box, which is where he thrives. He also could be an interesting option for a nickel cornerback or big dime style of defense on obvious passing downs. Similarly to what the Bills have done with Cam Lewis, McNeil-Warren could drop down from his safety spot on second and third and longs and play linebacker essentially. Safety is a huge need for the team, with Taylor Rapp a likely cut candidate and no other true answers at safety. Buffalo would still need to add depth at the position in free agency, but drafting McNeil-Warren would hopefully shore up your starting safties for the next five-to-eight years.
