Grading the pick: Browns make a smart trade and land a first-round talent that was falling down the board
The Browns made a trade with the San Francisco 49ers to move into the second round. Cleveland has landed on a terrific talent with Emmanuel McNeil-Warren from Toledo.
The Cleveland Browns have had a clear identity so far in the 2026 NFL Draft: Get a whole lot better on offense. Cleveland’s first three picks have gone on the offensive side of the football between OT Spencer Fano and wide receiver KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.
Cleveland is going in a different direction in the third round and they traded up to do so. The Browns gave up No. 70 in the third-round along with No. 107 in the fourth-round to get back No. 53 in the third-round and No. 152 the fourth-round from the San Francisco 49ers. With pick No. 53, the Browns have selected Toledo S Emanuel McNeil-Warren
Browns make a trade to find first-round value in the second with Emmanuel McNeil-Warrren
Cleveland gets a talented safety at No. 58 overall that A to Z Sports had ranked as the No. 27 player in the class. McNeil-Warren was a player who was a popular mock selection to the Browns early in the second round if he was there at No. 39, and some even believed he was in play at No. 24. The Browns have starting safeties set to be free agents after 2026 between Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman, and they add a talented player to the room.
It’s tough to stand out at the non-power conference level and earn true early-round hype, but Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has done it. At 6-3, 201 pounds with long arms, more than adequate speed and game-changing instincts, McNeil-Warren is the perfect box-first safety who can rotate deep as necessary. He allowed just six receptions last year on more than 300 coverage snaps. He allowed just a 40% completion rate when targeted. Teams completely avoided him in 2025 after it became abundantly clear he was the singular driving force of the Toledo defense. He did show some inconsistencies as a tackler in his final season, but McNeil-Warren still looks like a real-deal plug-and-play starter at strong safety from day one in the NFL.
Travis may
With this move, the Browns very well could be looking to play McNeil-Warren in the slot in Year 1, where the Browns have a need. The Browns hosted the Toledo product for a visit and were clearly interested in him during the draft process. The former Toledo standout made 77 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles in 2025.
The Browns traded up for the player they had as the best available and they went and got their guy. Andrew Berry doesn’t tee up a ton, so this move goes to show how badly the Browns wanted the player. McNeil-Warren is a heat-seeking middle who likes to find the football and he’ll fit right in with the Browns.
Grade: A
