McNeil-Warren is a throwback enforcer safety — the kind of player who changes the temperament of a secondary the moment he steps on the field. At 6-3+, 209 pounds, he plays with a controlled violence that produces absurd turnover numbers (nine career forced fumbles), and his zone coverage instincts are legitimately elite, reading quarterbacks' eyes and closing throwing windows with length and anticipation. The man-coverage limitations and underwhelming combine testing (4.52/35.5" vert) will scare teams looking for single-high versatility, and the Toledo competition level demands a leap of faith. But in the right two-high shell — patrolling zones, erasing tight ends, and punishing anything that comes across the middle — McNeil-Warren profiles as a Day 1 starter with Pro Bowl upside if the scheme protects what he can't do.
- Elite run defender who drives downhill with violence and creates turnovers at an absurd rate — nine forced fumbles speaks to deliberate ball-punching technique, not luck
- Zone coverage instincts are among the best in the class, reading route concepts and QB eyes to close on receivers with anticipation rather than pure speed
- Rare size-length combination (6-3+, 32 1/8" arms) for a safety allows him to match up with tight ends and close throwing windows that shorter safeties cannot
- Outstanding PFF production: 92.1 overall grade (2nd among 915 safeties), 91.8 coverage grade, 86.5 run defense grade in 2025
- Demonstrated he belongs against better competition at the Senior Bowl practices and against P4 opponents (Kentucky, Mississippi State, Washington State)
- Combine testing confirmed limited explosiveness — 4.52 40-yard dash ranked 13th of 14 safeties, 35.5" vertical was 12th of 16, bottom-tier broad jump
- Man coverage remains an underdeveloped area: only 28% of Toledo's coverage concepts asked him to play man, and he lacks the hip fluidity to mirror shifty slot receivers
- Missed tackle rate spiked in 2025 (13 missed tackles vs. 11 combined in 2023-24), raising durability-of-effort concerns and overpursuit issues
- Five dropped interceptions across his career indicate unreliable ball skills for a player who otherwise creates turnovers at an elite rate
Multiple sources independently identified Elliott as the comp — a physical, enforcer-type box safety who isn't an elite athlete but makes up for it with instincts, physicality, and an ability to be more than adequate in coverage. Elliott's Pittsburgh career arc (tone-setter who elevated the defense when on the field) maps closely to McNeil-Warren's projected ceiling.