The Cleveland Browns continued to take advantage of how the board was playing out around them in the 2026 NFL Draft. In the first round, they were able to trade back slightly and acquire a top player at a position of need in offensive tackle Spencer Fano.
In the second round, they flipped the script, trading up significantly to get a player they wanted at another position that needed an upgrade. Cleveland used the No. 70 and No. 107 overall picks to move up to No. 58 in order to select Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
Afterward, general manager Andrew Berry compared the Browns rookie to two impressive current NFL safeties, invoking the names of Kyle Hamilton of the Baltimore Ravens and Nick Emmanwori of the Seattle Seahawks.
“In assessing [Emmanuel] McNeil-Warren’s potential, Berry cited versatile safeties Kyle Hamilton of Baltimore and Nick Emmanwori of Seattle. But he cautioned against putting too much on his plate too early. Early on, McNeil-Warren could fill the long-sought role as ball-hawking deep safety in new coordinator Mike Rutenberg’s defense,” Tony Grossi wrote.
At 6-foot-4, 201 pounds, with a 40-yard dash time of 4.52 seconds, McNeil-Warren was considered to be a first-round talent and a likely choice on Day 1 of the draft by many analysts. However, safeties Caleb Downs and Dillon Heineman also fell a bit further than expected, which pushed McNeil-Warren down the board.
Yet, he just kept falling through the second round as well. After taking wide receiver Denzel Boston at pick No. 39, the Browns did not have another choice until No. 70.
So, as they watched McNeil-Warren continue to be passed over, they acted and moved up to take him. They also received a fifth-round pick from the San Francisco 49ers as part of the deal.
McNeil-Warren could become a valuable part of the secondary moving forward, as he has shown in college an ability to create turnovers, with five interceptions and nine forced fumbles. Safety Ronnie Hickman would play this season under a restricted free agent tender, but he can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, which could leave an opening in the starting lineup.
The maneuvering has allowed them to build a very strong draft class over the first two days, with more picks to come, including four in the fifth round, in Rounds 4-7 on Saturday.
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