Toledo players drafted in first round: How Emmanuel McNeil-Warren can join Quinyon Mitchell on short list

Toledo players drafted in first round: How Emmanuel McNeil-Warren can join Quinyon Mitchell on short list originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Day 1 of the NFL Draft is filled with top names from the power conferences. From the Big Ten to the SEC, most of the players selected in the first round compete on the national stage.

And then there’s Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. The safety is used to starring in midweek MACtion games, facing some of the nation’s smaller FBS programs. However, McNeil-Warren has excelled at that level.

In his fourth season at Toledo, McNeil-Warren recorded 77 total tackles, including 36 solo stops. He also forced three fumbles and recovered two.

Vinnie Iyer's latest mock draft has McNeil-Warren selected 23rd by the Philadelphia Eagles. However, it also has the Toledo safety as the only first round pick who didn't play college football at a power conference school or Notre Dame.

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Toledo players drafted in first round

Only two Toledo Rockets have ever been drafted in the first round, with McNeil-Warren looking to be the third. Dan Williams was the first, going at No. 11 in 1993. Quinyon Mitchell was the second in 2024, hearing his name at No. 22.

While there is a long history of Toledo draft picks, including five third-round picks since 2005, the first round talent is uncommon.

Toledo has a long history in college football, but this recent run of draft picks is no fluke for the team at large. Toledo was ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll in 2023, when the team had both Mitchell and McNeil-Warren