The 2026 NFL Draft class is shaping up to be a defensive-heavy one for the Cincinnati Bengals, as Al Golden seeks to revamp the unit in his image. Cincinnati made some veteran free agency splashes on the defensive line and at safety, but they may still invest a high pick in the latter position group early in April’s Draft.
While Ohio State’s Caleb Downs remains a possibility at No. 10 overall, Cincinnati is showing interest in another top safety in this class. Toledo defensive back Emmanuel McNeil-Warren recently confirmed he has met with the Bengals for a top-30 visit ahead of the festivities in a few weeks.
Justin Melo of Sports Illustrated’s NFL Draft site recently spoke with McNeil-Warren, and he spilled the tea.
“I had formal interviews at the NFL Combine with the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts, just to name a few,” McNeil-Warren told Melo. “I just had visits with the Cleveland Browns and Patriots. I have one coming up with the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys.”
McNeil-Warren is among the top handful of safeties in this year’s class. Debate has ensued about his potential draft position (Round 1 or Round 2), but in a pre-Combine conference call we sat in on with NFL Network Draft Analyst, Daniel Jeremiah, he had Downs, McNeil-Warren, and Dillon Thieneman (all safeties) within his Top-25 players in the entire class.
McNeil-Warren is known as a rangy guy who can cover well and is a willing tackler. He racked up five interceptions over the past three seasons, while averaging 69 total tackles in that span. McNeil-Warren also had 13 passes defended and 11 tackles for loss from 2023-25.
The NFL is a copycat league, as they say, and many teams are trying to emulate the Seahawks’ swarming defense that netted them the Lombardi Trophy last year. Cincinnati is one of those teams, poaching pass-rusher Boye Mafe from them in free agency.
Not coincidentally, Melo notes that “if an NFL team wants to build a Seahawks-like defense, they should consider selecting McNeil-Warren in the first round of the NFL Draft.”
The Bengals will seemingly be in the market for a safety in the draft, even with the addition of Bryan Cook via free agency. It’s just a matter of where and when they look at the position group for additional defensive back reinforcements.
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