From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Toledo S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.

No. 7 Emmanuel McNeil-Warren/S Toledo – 6’2 202 pounds (Senior)
MEASUREMENTS

Player
Ht/Wt
Hand Size
Arm Length
Wingspan

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
6’2/202
N/A
N/A
N/A

40-Yard Dash
10-Yard Dash
Short Shuttle
3-Cone

N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A

Broad Jump
Vertical
Bench Press

N/A
N/A
N/A

The Good

– Tall with long arms and ability to add more weight
– Physical, downhill player who closes in a hurry
– Active around line of scrimmage and filling alley
– Impactful and reliable tackler with strong upper body
– Closes space in a hurry
– Shows repeated ability to separate player from ball
– Searches for big plays with several forced fumbles, looks to punch ball out with intentionality
– Quality athlete with speed
– Tough and willing to fight through injuries
– Versatile to wear different hats and roles
– Takes good angles to ballcarrier, plays inside/out
– Showed versatility disguising coverages

The Bad

– Skinny legs and lean overall frame
– Aggressive eyes can get him into trouble, focused on making plays within 10 yards of line of scrimmage
– Shows overall gambler’s mentality in run and pass, late to open hips in coverage and can get beat
– Eyes can take him to wrong place and miss runners
– Need to see more in coverage

Stats

– Career: 214 tackles (11 TFL), 13 PDs, 9 FFs, 5 INTs, 3 FRs, 1 sack, 1 defensive TD (48 total games)
– 2025: 77 tackles (5.5 TFL), 5 PDs, 3 FFs, 2 INTs
– Led MAC in 2023 with four FFs (third in NCAA)
– 2025 snaps: 401 box, 198 FS, 33 slot corner
– Career snaps: 966 box, 624 FS, 204 slot, 45 wide corner
– 341 special teams snaps (majority first two seasons), mostly FG block final two years
– Just 1 career penalty
– 10.9 percent career missed tackle rate (15.5 percent in 2025, 13 misses)
– PFF’s No. 1 rated overall safety in 2025 (No. 23 run defense, No. 187 tackler, No. 1 coverage grade)
– Second-lowest catch % of any qualifying safety (40 percent on 15 total targets)

Injury History

– 2025: Played in bowl game with leg injury, missing a handful of series
– 2024: Missed final five games with shoulder injury
– 2021: Suffered concussion and elbow injury that caused him to miss “chunk” of HS senior season (including first three games)

Bio

– Three-star recruit from Lakewood, Florida
– Chose Toledo over Indiana, Kansas State, Miami (FL), and handful of other schools; Rockets were his first offer
– 2025 third-team All-American and first-team All-MAC
– 55 tackles, 3 INTs as HS senior
– Has four brothers and four sisters
– Turned down big NIL deals to transfer because he considered Toledo “family”
– Raised by his mother growing up, but reconnected and lived with his dad in high school, who became his OC; calls his father a “role model”
– Initially played WR in high school, but flipped to defense after that side needed more help
– First member of his family to attend college
– Called “coachable” by past coaches

Tape Breakdown

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is just the latest product of the Lakewood-to-Toledo pipeline and one of several to come out of South Florida to the MAC (Antonio Brown, Diontae Johnson are other examples). A hair-on-fire player, he’s quick to see, close and hit. McNeil-Warren is physical and gets players on the ground.

He does more than just make tackles, too. He’s consistently searching to make splash plays with a whopping nine career forced fumbles. Rare levels of productivity.

In coverage, he’s athletic with speed and range. Here, he carries this post to the end zone despite looking back for the ball.

While McNeil-Warren plays inside-out and takes good angles, his eyes can get a little lazy, and he can miss keys. Here, he loses vision on the runner, who cuts it back and beats him to the edge for a long touchdown.

In coverage, he’s aggressive with a focus on the football. Watch him get beat on this route because he’s so glued to the backfield that he’s late to open his hips.

It was hard to get a good feel for him in coverage, but he seems stronger in run support and working within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. He could also stand to bulk up a bit if he’s going to play closer to the box.

Conclusion

Overall, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is a solid safety prospect who plays with a great attitude, has plus athletic traits, and had strong college production. Despite a need to fill out his frame, he has the makings of a strong safety with athleticism to play some in the post, too. If his eyes become a little more disciplined with more coaching, he’s a clear every-down starter.

My NFL comp is Justin Reid.

NFL Projection: Early-Mid Day Two
Steelers Depot Draft Grade: 8.3 (Long-time Starter)
Grade Range: 7.7-8.8
Games Watched: at Kentucky (2025), vs Kent State (2025), vs Akron (2025), vs Louisville (2025)