ESPN Makes the Case for ‘Non-Thieneman’ Draft Pick in Round 1 for Vikings
Are you exhausted by seeing every mock draft in the last few weeks select Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman for the Minnesota Vikings? Perhaps you’re elated? In any event, ESPN has a fresh idea, naming Minnesota the best spot for Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren this week.
If Brian Flores wants range, burst, and takeaway juice, McNeil-Warren makes plenty of sense for Minnesota.
Matt Bowen described his criteria: “I took it upon myself to come up with the 20 best player-to-team matches for Rounds 1 and 2. I factored in player strengths and weaknesses, organizational needs, schemes and coaching staff tendencies.”
“A lot of the tendencies are speculative, as the 10 head coaching changes from this offseason will lead to plenty of system changes. But the overall idea was to find spots where players would be put in a position to succeed because of their traits and the team’s existing infrastructure.”
McNeil-Warren Fits Flores’ Defense Better Than Most Safeties
Per Bowen, Minnesota should draft a safety, just not the popular one.
Bowen: McNeil-Warren to Vikings is Best of Both Parties
Bowen sized up the best landing spots for a handful of rookies, including Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love to the Washington Commanders and Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq to the Los Angeles Rams.
For McNeil-Warren to the Vikings, he explained, “McNeil-Warren is ideal for coordinator Brian Flores‘ scheme, which focuses on creating chaos for opposing offenses with late movement and pressure. Flores and the Vikings played two-high coverage on 56.5% of opponent dropbacks last season, the second most in the league.”
“McNeil-Warren has the explosive forward ability to drive on the ball from the deep half or a “quarters” alignment. And he has the range to track it deep. Flores will also use his third-level defenders on pressure concepts; Minnesota’s defensive back blitz rate of 15.1% ranked fourth highest last season. That lends well to McNeil-Warren’s forward burst.”
The last time a coveted Toledo defensive back was picked in Round 1, it worked out well: Quinyon Mitchell to the Philadelphia Eagles two years ago.
The Scouting Report
At 6’2″ and 202 pounds, McNeil-Warren fits the prototypical safety build. He also boasts a 4.52 40-yard dash, giving him the physical attributes NFL teams covet.
The Toledo product is known for his knack for forcing turnovers, a skill the Minnesota team could certainly utilize in 2026 and beyond. Although safeties are typically valued less than cornerbacks in the draft, McNeil-Warren exhibits the length and quickness often seen in 1st-Round prospects.
The Ringer‘s Todd McShay on McNeil-Warren: “McNeil-Warren dominated his level of competition and displayed a combination of size, smooth athleticism, fast eyes, toughness, and confidence that NFL teams covet. One of McNeil-Warren’s unique traits is the confidence with which he attacks ballcarriers in the split second before contact.”
“It’s like watching an episode on Animal Planet where a predator hunts its prey. This attack comes in many different forms, including a submarine-style undercut, a violent lasso, and his perfectly timed “peanut punch,” which resulted in eight career forced fumbles. He’s at his best serving as a ‘robber’ or working inside the box, and he exhibits great run-diagnostic skills and instincts sifting through traffic.”
Flores, in all likelihood, would move McNeil-Warren all over the place inside his defense. That’s what Flores does with versatile dudes.
McShay added, “In coverage, McNeil-Warren is at his best facing the quarterback, getting an early read, and squatting-driving on the ball in front of him. He has very good ball-hawking instincts and knows when to attack the ball and when to separate it from the receiver.”
“His pick-six vs. Western Kentucky displayed his ability to read the QB’s eyes; his diving interception versus Central Michigan in the snow showed his good tracking skills and focus along the sideline.
The Vikings’ Safeties
Longtime Viking Harrison Smith is technically a free agent; the Vikings released him last month while he deliberates between a return and retirement. Most fans think Smith will return because he probably would’ve retired by now.
If one assumes that Smith presses the button on a comeback, and Minnesota takes Bowen’s advice, the 2026 safety room would look like this:
- Harrison Smith
- Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
- Josh Metellus
- Jay Ward
- Theo Jackson
- Tavierre Thomas
- Kahlef Hailassie
The group would project promisingly for the short and long term.
A Chance to Rewrite the Lewis Cine Pick
Four years ago, the Vikings passed on a chance to draft Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, considered by many pundits to be the best defensive player in the 2022 NFL Draft. Ex-Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah got cute, traded down, and later picked Georgia safety Lewis Cine, who turned out to be one of Minnesota’s biggest busts of all time.
It wasn’t difficult to stay put and draft Hamilton; the draftboard fell beautifully for Adofo-Mensah. Still, that entire draft was bungled.
Now, with either McNeil-Warren or Thieneman, the Vikings have a chance to get the safety selection right. Neither man may be an ironclad star like Hamilton, but anything better than Cine would be welcomed with open arms.
McNeil-Warren ranks 26th on the Consensus Big Board as of April 3rd.
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