The Browns selected S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren with the 58th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Cleveland moved up to No. 58, executing a trade with the 49ers that sent picks No. 70 and No. 107 to San Francisco in exchange for picks No. 58 and No. 152.

“Ever since the beginning of the combine, I feel like the Browns, they love me,” McNeil-Warren said. “They’ve been supporting me. They’ve been just telling me how good a player I am, and as a person too. So I had a feeling it would be somewhere with the Cleveland Browns.”

McNeil-Warren made an official visit to Cleveland during the pre-draft process. He said it “felt like home.”

“All the coaches were cool, everything,” McNeil-Warren said. “So I feel like it was just a blessing for them just to be on the same team back in Ohio with them.”

He spent his collegiate career with Toledo, playing in 48 career games. He totaled 214 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, one sack, 13 passes defensed and five interceptions – including a pick six. He also added two fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. During the 2025 season, McNeil-Warren recorded two interceptions and broke up four passes in coverage. He allowed a 56.5 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks, and gave up six receptions in coverage, according to PFF.

“We really see him as a versatile player that’s going to be able to play at a variety of spots for us,” Browns assistant GM and vice president of football operations Catherine Hickman said. “Ball hawk is definitely in the description and really just someone that with his size, his athleticism, the way he moves for his size. I was down at his pro day and it’s pretty impressive. So I think really someone that’s going to be able to give us options.”

McNeil-Warren joins a safety room that is led by Grant Delpit and has additional depth players in Christopher Edmonds and Donovan McMillon. The Browns also tendered Ronnie Hickman and signed Daniel Thomas during free agency.

“We’re trying to build a team here,” Hickman said. “It’s not just always about adding assets or collecting picks. When there’s a player that’s still on your board that’s falling to you, that you have really high grades on both as a person, as a player, it becomes a no brainer when you have an opportunity. That’s really how we felt about Emmanuel.”