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Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is the fifth Rocket defensive back to be selected in the NFL Draft since 2019.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren Drafted in Second Round by the Cleveland Browns
4/24/2026 9:01:00 PM | Football
Toledo one of only 13 schools in the country to have a top 65 pick in each of the past three NFL Drafts
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – University of Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was chosen in the second round (58th pick overall) by the Cleveland Browns in the 2026 draft in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Friday night.
McNeil-Warren is the 12th Rocket to be drafted in the past 10 years, the program's highest total in any 10-year span since 1964-73, when the Rockets had 17 players selected during an era featuring 17 to 20 rounds. Toledo now has had a player selected among the top 65 picks of the draft in three consecutive years, following Quinyon Mitchell (No. 22) in 2024 and Darius Alexander (No. 65) in 2025. The Rockets join a list of 12 other schools with a top-65 pick in the past three drafts: Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Missouri and South Carolina. Toledo is the only G-6 school on the list.
McNeil-Warren is also the fifth Rocket defensive back to be selected since 2019: Mitchell (2024, 1st round by Philadelphia), Tyson Anderson (2022, 5th round by Cincinnati), Samuel Womack (2022, 5th round by San Francisco) and Ka'dar Hollman (2019, 6th round by Green Bay).
McNeil-Warren, a safety, was named to three of the five major All-America teams in 2025. He was named Second Team All-America by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the Sporting News, and third-team by the Associated Press. The Tampa, Fla. native is just the fourth Rocket in the program's 109-year history to be named to at least three major All-America teams, and just the second in the past 54 years. The other three were cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (2023), defensive lineman Mel Long (1970 and 1971) and cornerback Curtis Johnson (1969).
McNeil-Warren was a semifinalist for the 2025 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award honoring the nation's top defensive back. The Tampa, Fla. native is the first Rocket to be named a Thorpe semifinalist since Barry Church in 2009 and the first MAC defensive back to be named a semifinalist since 2015.
McNeil-Warren was also named the "Group of 6" Defensive Player of the Year by Pro Football Focus as well as to the PFF All-America Team.
A 2025 first-team All-MAC selection, McNeil-Warren had 77 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and five pass breakups last season. He was among national leaders in forced fumbles (3) and in fumbles recovered (2).
Highest Toledo NFL Draft Picks
1993 - Dan Williams-11th (1st round)
2024 - Quinyon Mitchell - 22nd (1st round)
2026 - Emmanuel McNeil-Warren - 58th (2nd round)
1955 - Mel Triplett - 56th (5th round)
2008 - John Greco - 65th (3rd round)
2025 - Darius Alexander - 65th (3rd round)
2019 - Diontae Johnson - 66th (3rd round)
1963 - Frank Baker - 68th (5th round)
1954 - Asa Jenkins - 72nd (6th round)
1970 - Curtis Johnson - 81st (4th round)
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McNeil-Warren is the 12th Rocket to be drafted in the past 10 years, the program's highest total in any 10-year span since 1964-73, when the Rockets had 17 players selected during an era featuring 17 to 20 rounds. Toledo now has had a player selected among the top 65 picks of the draft in three consecutive years, following Quinyon Mitchell (No. 22) in 2024 and Darius Alexander (No. 65) in 2025. The Rockets join a list of 12 other schools with a top-65 pick in the past three drafts: Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Missouri and South Carolina. Toledo is the only G-6 school on the list.
McNeil-Warren is also the fifth Rocket defensive back to be selected since 2019: Mitchell (2024, 1st round by Philadelphia), Tyson Anderson (2022, 5th round by Cincinnati), Samuel Womack (2022, 5th round by San Francisco) and Ka'dar Hollman (2019, 6th round by Green Bay).
McNeil-Warren, a safety, was named to three of the five major All-America teams in 2025. He was named Second Team All-America by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the Sporting News, and third-team by the Associated Press. The Tampa, Fla. native is just the fourth Rocket in the program's 109-year history to be named to at least three major All-America teams, and just the second in the past 54 years. The other three were cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (2023), defensive lineman Mel Long (1970 and 1971) and cornerback Curtis Johnson (1969).
McNeil-Warren was a semifinalist for the 2025 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award honoring the nation's top defensive back. The Tampa, Fla. native is the first Rocket to be named a Thorpe semifinalist since Barry Church in 2009 and the first MAC defensive back to be named a semifinalist since 2015.
McNeil-Warren was also named the "Group of 6" Defensive Player of the Year by Pro Football Focus as well as to the PFF All-America Team.
A 2025 first-team All-MAC selection, McNeil-Warren had 77 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and five pass breakups last season. He was among national leaders in forced fumbles (3) and in fumbles recovered (2).
Highest Toledo NFL Draft Picks
1993 - Dan Williams-11th (1st round)
2024 - Quinyon Mitchell - 22nd (1st round)
2026 - Emmanuel McNeil-Warren - 58th (2nd round)
1955 - Mel Triplett - 56th (5th round)
2008 - John Greco - 65th (3rd round)
2025 - Darius Alexander - 65th (3rd round)
2019 - Diontae Johnson - 66th (3rd round)
1963 - Frank Baker - 68th (5th round)
1954 - Asa Jenkins - 72nd (6th round)
1970 - Curtis Johnson - 81st (4th round)
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