Tea leaves point to 49ers using 1st draft pick on versatile defensive back

The San Francisco 49ers already accomplished a successful first round of the 2026 NFL Draft by trading down twice, stockpiling additional draft capital and likely thwarting their NFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, from engineering their own trade-down from No. 32 overall.

Even better, the Niners may potentially get one of the players they originally wanted with their first-round pick.

True, general manager John Lynch has a tough few decisions to weigh before San Francisco kicks off Round 2 with the 33rd overall pick. Another trade down the board is possible, and there has to be temptation to select Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, who is a top-10 talent but slipped out of Round 1 because of a torn ACL suffered in January of 2025.

But cornerback is nowhere as pressing a need as at safety, specifically a deep safety, and there's one prospect who keeps showing up on the experts and analysts' lists for the 49ers' day-two action.

Toledo defensive back Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren might be the 49ers' pick (if they stay put in Round 2)

McNeil-Warren could've been the Niners' top pick in the draft, and few would have blinked, including ESPN's Matt Miller, who followed up with the prospect as San Francisco's top choice after Round 1 was in the books:

The 49ers moved out of Round 1, but the chance to take the player I originally predicted for them is still here as McNeil-Warren slips to Round 2. After watching rival Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori neutralize offenses, former safety and 49ers general manager John Lynch can draft his own version.

Remember, Miller is a 49ers fan, so there's some bias here. And his ESPN colleague, Nick Wagoner, also suggested the Niners could focus on a safety after not reaching on the positional value in Round 1.

But that's not all. Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz reported there was an increased interest in the safety heading into day two of the draft, suggesting either the Niners were fine with the idea of staying put at No. 33 and selecting McNeil-Warren or, potentially, beefing up his stock value to help maximize a would-be trade:

A logical conclusion might be this: San Francisco is still willing to trade down from the 33rd pick, but if it can't, McNeil-Warren is the preferred choice.

And, unlike Thursday night, 49ers fans won't have anywhere near as long to wait before whatever decision is made.

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