Draft Analyst Names His Favorite Browns Pick

Every year, NFL teams throughout the league are looking for draft steals, players who are overlooked and could end up playing much better than expected. This year, some experts believe that the Cleveland Browns walked away with a few young rookies who may be steals.

Writing for ESPN, Field Yates circled Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, the safety whom they picked up at No. 58. Yates cited his specific set of skills and how they perfectly line up with the needs of the Browns.

According to him, McNeil-Warren could have gone “20 or so spots higher.”

“The Browns had one of my favorite drafts across the board, hammering away at needs while not reaching based on consensus rankings. I thought [Emmanuel] McNeil-Warren could go 20 or so spots higher than this as the long, rangy safety showed up around the football and has excellent ball skills. Cleveland’s defense is already excellent, but safety was a need beyond 2026,” Yates wrote.

McNeil-Warren is a tough, relentless safety from the University of Toledo. The Browns haven’t drafted a player from that school in 50 years, which shows just how much they value him.

The Browns clearly had their sights set on McNeil-Warren and traded up to No. 58 to get him.

When the draft started, some fans wondered if the Browns would attempt to land a safety. Obviously, they weren’t heavily focused on their defensive unit and did not need to be because that was the strongest part of their team last year. However, there was always a chance that they’d scoop up a defensive player if the right one fell into their lap.

The good news about McNeil-Warren, aside from his potential, is the fact that the Browns didn’t have to spend a first-round pick to get him. They can be comfortable knowing they have a player with a lot of upside and didn’t use their No. 9 or No. 24 selection on him.

McNeil-Warren is coming to a team that has one of the strongest defensive units in the entire league, so he will have to go above and beyond if he wants to make an impact.