The Miami Dolphins are currently meeting with potential first-round draft pick safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
The Miami Dolphins have two first-round picks, No. 11 and No. 30. While they have been mocked to a wide receiver, offensive lineman, and more at No. 11, the consensus is that the team will target the secondary at No. 30.
With Minkah Fitzpatrick having been traded, the Dolphins have a clear need at safety, and they could be looking at rising college prospect Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. The Toledo safety continues to rise up draft boards, and is presently meeting in Miami.
McNeil-Warren has been mentioned as the third-best safety in the draft behind Ohio State's Caleb Downs and Oregon's Dillon Thieneman. Both might be off the board by the time the Dolphins pick again at No. 30, but Theieneman also continues to move up and down the first-round draft boards.
That said, McNeil-Warren continues to make a name for himself as a player who can move into the first round. He has been described as a rangy and physical playmaker who has perfected the "Peanut Punch."
The "Peanut Punch" refers to being able to punch the ball out, which is something that Fitzpatrick also excelled at. McNeil-Warren forced nine fumbles throughout his collegiate career at Toledo, which is a lot considering he is a safety and not a linebacker.
Per Pro Football Focus, McNeil-Warren was rated the second-best safety with an overall grade of 92.1, and his 91.8 coverage grade also ranked second. Despite the high marks, the Rockets prospect does have some issues with overall coverage, being that he is not labeled as a traditional strong safety.
Regardless, he has strong tackling prowess with the ability to chase down defenders and punch the ball out. Creating turnovers matters a great deal in the grand scheme of things, and McNeil-Warren will need to clean up his coverage skills through training camp and preseason to get a shot at being the Day One starter.
The Dolphins have brought in a ton of cornerbacks in free agency, despite being low-cost options that may or may not work out. Nothing has been done regarding the safety position, which could mean Miami is dead set on landing a safety in the first round.
With the chance at taking Downs at No. 11, the Dolphins would theoretically do so. However, it would not be a loss of any kind to bring McNeil-Warren in at No. 30 if the front office goes with another position higher in the first round.
Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley has been preaching building from the outside in, and landing a potential NFL-ready safety is likely one of the top priorities regarding the 11 draft picks that Miami currently has.