Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo SAF

Strengths

Physical player in the box and wants to mix it up and will absolutely take on a RB barreling down at full speed.
Leader of that Toledo defense. You can see him talking to his teammates and calling out coverages/assignments pre-snap.
Looks solid in man coverage from the nickel. Has the physicality in play style to stay with TEs, and the lateral agility to stay with most of the speed slot receivers.
Really good lateral agility and has fluid hips.
Good overall run defender and a solid tackler.

Concerns/Weaknesses

Despite what ESPN has listed, he looks very slim on tape. ESPN has his weight (as of this writing) listed at 202, but I think he is closer to the 175-180 range.
Block engagement is interesting - if he is coming down and he can manage and work through it, but if the block comes to him he is almost always neutralized.
The zone coverage instincts did not impress me. Sometimes he makes a great read on the QB and can jump a route, and other times he looks lost or latches onto a receiver too early in the process.
The vertical and closing speed will probably be about average.
Too easily fooled by counters in the run game; he overcommits too early in the read.

Key Statistics / Notes

Tackles: 77
Tackle success rate: 84.0%
INT: 2
Passes Defended: 5
9 forced fumbles through college career.
2/3 box vs deep alignment.

Summary

It’s always a fun time when a smaller school player starts getting some legitimate draft hype, and Toledo has been the school driving this for a number of years in a row now. This is a good player that has the physical-run stopping traits that I love, and has a good overall feel for the position. However, one of my largest concerns right now is his weight. As I mentioned, I think ESPN has his weight inflated by 20-25 pounds, and because I think his best fit is as a strong safety, that really matters. If he comes in weighing below 190, I’ll have some legitimate concerns. Not because that makes him suddenly a bad player, but that would be a real projection concern. The average safety weight in the NFL is 200, and the last safety on the smaller side to really be a difference maker was Tyrann Mathiue. The height will help mitigate some concern, but not everything.

Tape Grade: RD 3 (7.25 - Average Starter)
NFL Position-Type: Strong Safety

2025 Games watched: Kentucky, Kent State, Akron.