The Buffalo Bills appear to be undergoing a makeover on the defensive side of the football, signaled most prominently by the hiring of new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. With a number of contracts expiring and a new scheme brought on by Leonhard, it's safe to expect plenty of new faces on the defense this season.
One of these fresh faces could be safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, coming out of Toledo. The emergence of Cole Bishop has lightened some of the pressure on the immediate need for impact players at the position, but McNeil-Warren could be one of the last true first-round grades on the board by the time the Bills are on the clock.
Toledo Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Height: 6'3 1/2
Weight: 201 lbs
Official 40-yard dash: 4.52
Recruiting: 3-star recruit in the class of 2022, No. 1357 nationally
College Production: 212 tackles, five interceptions, nine forced fumbles, one touchdown in 48 career games
Strengths
- Carries good height/size and is a rangy player who can move all around the field.
- He is a hard hitter, frequently shelling out strikes on pass catchers to force incompletions.
- He uses his length and athleticism to be a sound tackler, especially when playing downhill.
- Possesses a great punch of the ball, totaling nine forced fumbles in his career.
Weaknesses
- McNeil-Warren can be slow to diagnose and react to run plays, which allows runners to gain more yards than they should.
- He has not yet proved to be a consistent coverage piece on the back end.
- He has a tendency to be bouncy and wait for runners to come to him, leading to some misses in open space.
- If he is matched up against vertical burners, he could struggle to keep up.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren NFL Player Comparison: Talanoa Hufanga
McNeil-Warren is a young player with plenty of room and potential to grow. His combine testing wasn't off the charts, but it was still solid, and he appears to be a player who has true game speed and performs better in a live environment. If he is going to have success in the NFL, it will likely come from his athletic playstyle, his ability to play from sideline to sideline, and his instincts for the ball.
Emmanuel McNeil Warren's Fit with the Buffalo Bills
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren projects to be a true strong safety in the NFL, carrying a violent edge to his game in his tackling, pursuit, and aggressiveness for the ball. McNeil-Warren could also play a "big nickel" in this new defensive scheme, but with Cole Bishop already on the team, the Bills could deploy these two as positionless-type defenders with the flexibility to play hybrid roles. Leonhard has already praised Cole Bishop as a "jack of all trades" who can be physical, "play out in space" and "cover," which likely signals Leonhard values players who can't be defined as a certain type of player so easily.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren NFL Draft Grade: Late Round 1-Early Round 2
The Toledo product began to raise his draft stock with an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl, illustrating that despite playing lower-level competition, he can hang with the best that college football has to offer. Despite some of his limitations and areas he needs to improve, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren possesses great size, versatile athleticism, a willingness and desire to tackle, and a nose for the football that could easily see him hearing his name called on the first night of the NFL Draft. Where he ends up will be dictated in large part by how teams value the safety position, but McNeil-Warren should expect to be the second or third safety drafted this year.