NFL.com Mock Draft Puts New Defender on Vikings’ Radar
The Super Bowl is in 13 days, but first, the NFL draft community has plenty of time to produce mock drafts, as seven rounds of new rookies will join the big leagues in three months. And according to NFL.com, the latest and greatest theory for the Minnesota Vikings involves Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
McNeil-Warren’s name is rising as a rookie safety option, and the Smith succession question may force Minnesota’s hand.
McNeil-Warren ranks 39th on the Consensus Big Board as of January 27th, but that didn’t stop Daniel Jeremiah from mock-drafting him to the purple team.
McNeil-Warren Lands on Minnesota’s Radar
A Harrison Smith replacement is on the mind of NFL.com.
McNeil-Warren to Vikings
At the 18th pick, Jeremiah picked McNeil-Warren for Minnesota and noted, “I’m higher on McNeil-Warren than some other people around the league, but I love his combination of size and explosive playmaking ability. He could help replace Harrison Smith if the soon-to-be 37-year-old does indeed retire.”
Before the Vikings’ pick, Jeremiah mocked Akheem Mesidor, an EDGE rusher from Miami, to the Detroit Lions, and at No. 19, Arizona State wideout Jordan Tyson landed with the Carolina Panthers.
Naturally, as you will see in every mock draft, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza went No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Scouting Report
McNeil-Warren is 6’2″ and 202 pounds with 4.5 speed. He’s got the size. The Toledo Rocket is known for forcing turnovers, which the Vikings could obviously use in 2026 and beyond. He also has the length, burst, and ability worthy of the 1st Round, though general managers often don’t consider safeties as premium assets, like cornerbacks.
NFL Draft Buzz on McNeil-Warren: “His combination of length, improving instincts, and proven ability to generate game-changing plays positions him as the type of safety who could thrive in a role-specific capacity early before expanding his responsibilities.”
“The modern NFL’s emphasis on versatile defensive backs who can match up with tight ends and provide run support from depth aligns perfectly with his skill set, though defensive coordinators will need patience developing his deep coverage reliability. His ceiling depends heavily on continued refinement of his anticipation and pattern recognition – the mental processing that separates good college safeties from NFL starters.”
Another Toledo defensive back took off after being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024: cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.
NBD added on McNeill-Warren, “The flashes are there, particularly his pick-six against Western Kentucky that demonstrated his growth reading quarterback intentions, but consistency remains elusive. Teams running primarily split-safety coverages where he can work from depth and leverage his closing speed downhill would maximize his immediate impact while minimizing exposure to his weaknesses in isolated deep coverage situations.”
“While he may never become an elite single-high free safety, McNeil-Warren possesses the tools and competitive drive to carve out a decade-long career as a valuable chess piece in creative defensive schemes that value versatility and playmaking over pure coverage ability.”
The Job Lewis Cine Should’ve Filled
It’s worth noting that the Vikings shouldn’t need safety right now. The here and now was supposed to be the time that 2022 1st-Rounder Lewis Cine entered his prime. But after Cine broke his leg as a rookie and never gained his footing in the defense thereafter, Minnesota dropped Cine a couple of offseasons ago, one of the worst busts in Vikings history.
Cine now plays in the UFL, along with high-round 2022 draft mate, cornerback Andrew Booth.
Had general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah hit on Cine, he would not have to entertain a high-round draft pick on a safety like McNeill-Warren. That’s why draft busts are so impactful and damning.
Not So Fast on Smith’s Retirement?
Minnesota extended defensive coordinator Brian Flores’s contract last week, nominating him for a return in 2026. And while fans had a going-away party for Harrison Smith a few weeks ago in Week 18, a source told VikingsTerritory last weekend that Smith’s retirement is not a foregone conclusion. The 36-year-old has a “hard time walking away,” per the source, and Flores’s renewal with the Vikings could lure Smith back for Year No. 15.
If that happens, the Vikings would still need an eventual Smith replacement, but it may not be in the 1st Round of the NFL draft. The team would basically buy itself another year.
Final note: safeties are usually pretty easy to find in free agency. If Minnesota doesn’t prefer the draft for a safety, about 10 startable options will be available on the open market in March. Players like Kamren Curl (Los Angeles Rams) and Jalen Thompson (Arizona Cardinals) will be available in six weeks if their current teams don’t renew their contracts.
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