Many years in the NFL Draft, positional value will push prospects down that place positions perceived to be less valuable. Running backs, linebackers, interior offensive linemen, and safeties have to be special at their positions to be first-round picks. Last year, a very good safety slid late into the first round with the Baltimore Ravens taking Malaki Starks. Another very good safety prospect, the Seahawks’ Nick Emmanwori, slid to the second round and helped Seattle to a Super Bowl championship as a rookie. This year could be a little different, though, in speaking to team sources, they think that two safeties could go in the first round in 2026 with Ohio State’s Caleb Downs and Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman.
In a survey of six teams, they thought those two prospects could go in the first. Three teams said they had Thieneman graded in the second round, but thought he could be one of the second-rounders that get selected on the opening night in the draft. One team thought that Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren could go in the first round, but the other five said they thought he would be a second-round pick.
Every draft is different, and multiple sources said that Thieneman and McNeil-Warren did not grade out as high as Emmanwori did with them last year, yet Thieneman and McNeil-Warren might end up getting selected higher than Emmanwori in 2025. In my latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft, I have two safeties going in the opening night of the draft, and a survey of team sources thinks that is very possible.
