Why Analysts Love These Two Safeties for the Vikings in the Draft

Another top mock dropped on Tuesday and, unsurprisingly, it had Minnesota taking a safety at No. 18 in the upcoming NFL Draft.

ESPN's Peter Schrager mocked Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren to the Vikings in the first round, and that's a particularly interesting mock because the former NFL Network host is known for releasing two mocks based on what he's hearing from team sources.

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Safety has become a common prediction for the Vikings as we inch closer and closer to the draft, particularly with McNeil-Warren and Oregon's Dillon Thieneman. Both could be on the board when Minnesota goes on the clock, and the experts who have watched the tape explain why either player would be a fantastic fit in Brian Flores' defense.

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren

Background: McNeil-Warren spent four years at Toledo, where he tallied 214 combined tackles, including 11 for a loss. He also defended 13 passes, forced nine fumbles, picked off five passes, and registered one sack. He scored a 91.9 PFF defensive grade and a 92.0 coverage grade in 2025. Despite his large frame, McNeil-Warren registered a 4.52 40-yard dash (78th percentile) and 2.61 20-yard split (77th percentile) at the NFL Combine.

What the analysts say

In his mock, Schrager called McNeil-Warren a "tall, rangy safety," noting that the Toledo star plays with "high energy and is vocal in the defensive backfield." McNeil-Warren's size is the thing that immediately sticks out about the senior safety. He measured in at 6-foot-3 and a half at the Combine, putting him in the 99th percentile among all safeties.

“He is a freakshow,” said an anonymous college coach who talked with The Athletic's Bruce Feldman. “He was super rangy, super athletic, played downhill. Had the ball skills. He could close space so fast and didn’t miss tackles. ... You’d turn the tape and immediately could see, he’s different. He just pops when you watch them on the tape. His athleticism and how smooth he was and how long he was, it all translated. He was the best kid we played all year."

NFL Network's Lance Zierlein says McNeil-Warren is "capable of bolstering a team’s run defense and playing enforcer over the middle." That rugged, hard-hitting persona is something that former PFF draft analyst Trevor Sikkema noted in a recent breakdown of the top safety prospects.

"He could bring the pain as a hitte," said Sikkema. "I mean, he can really lower the shoulder and give you some power over the middle. I think he is a bull at the catch point."

Zierlein said that McNeil-Warren is "most valuable when playing near the line of scrimmage or in robber positioning." He also said he anticipates well in coverage and is "quick to close on receivers."

"McNeil-Warren is a hard worker who displays good speed to the football," wrote ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. "He looks the part at 6-foot-4, and he can create on-the-ball production... McNeil-Warren might not get the attention that Power 4 prospects do, but he's a great football player."

Dillon Thieneman

Background: Thieneman played one year at Oregon after two years starring at Purdue. He finished his college career with 306 total tackles, including 10 for a loss, 14 passes defended, eight interceptions, two sacks, and two forced fumbles. He burst onto the scene as a freshman, grabbing six interceptions for the Boilermakers, while registering an 89.5 PFF defensive grade. His production dipped during his sophomore season at Purdue, but returned during his lone year for the Ducks, when he finished the 2025 season with a 91.0 PFF defensive grade and a 91.1 coverage grade.

What the analysts say

Thieneman is far and away the most commonly mocked player to the Vikings at No. 18, with many scouts and analysts noting the comparisons to Minnesota safety Harrison Smith, who may or may not retire this offseason. In his latest mock, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah said that Thieneman is a "perfect fit" for the Vikings.

The Oregon safety stunned at the Combine, when he ran a blistering 4.35 40-yard dash and registered a 41-inch vertical. While his smaller frame, measuring at an even 6-feet and weighing 201 pounds, his athleticism is off the charts. His 40-yard dash was in the 99th percentile for safeties, while his 2.55 20-yard split was in the 96th percentile. Thieneman's speed and explosion grade are considered 'Elite' according to Relative Athletic Score.

"We saw at the Combine, what a great athlete he was," said Sikkema. "Not just explosiveness, but fluidity, everything from him. He is just a top-tier athlete."

While the explosion and athleticism have done a lot to boost Thieneman's stock, he also has backed it up on the field. An anonymous Big Ten offensive assistant told Feldman that Thieneman is "good at everything. You felt him more throughout the game.”

"Thieneman is an extension of his defensive coordinator, aligning and adjusting the secondary to motion and pre-snap shifts," noted Zierlein.

"He’s not a big thumper near the line, but he rushes into the action with a relentless pursuit that should allow him to keep stacking high scores in the tackle columns," continued Zierlein. "Thieneman checks important boxes for teams looking to add versatile playmakers in the secondary."

"What I love about him though is that he is just so reliable," said Sikkema. "He will be 25 yards off the ball, and if he sees a screen is happening or if it's a toss play to the outside, he is screaming downhill and making fundamental tackles at the line of scrimmage, with his shoulder at full speed, wrapping these guys up. You don't have a lot of safeties that have both coverage range and run defense range with that much dependability."

Kiper said Thieneman lines up all over the field, reads the QB well and closes quickly on ball-carriers

"I think he is a complete safety. I think he is worthy of a top-12 overall pick," Sikkema concluded.