Nick Emmanwori: The Seahawks’ Rookie Swiss Army Knife is Built for the Big Stage
SAN JOSE - If there were a prop bet on where Nick Emmanwori will line up on the first snap of Super Bowl 60, you’d need more than a scouting report to make the right call. Edge rusher?
Slot corner? Deep safety?
Linebacker in the box? All of the above?
That’s the kind of versatility that has New England’s offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels burning the midnight oil. When the Patriots (17-3) meet the Seahawks (16-3) this Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, they’ll have to account for a 6-foot-3, 220-pound rookie who doesn’t just play multiple positions - he plays them all with impact.
“He’s down there in the trenches, trying to play like a defensive lineman,” said Seattle veteran DeMarcus Lawrence. “Sometimes I look over and think, ‘Bro, why are you so close to me?’”
That’s the thing with Emmanwori - he doesn’t just blur positional lines, he erases them. In just 14 games (11 starts), the second-round pick out of South Carolina has racked up 81 tackles, 2.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, and an interception. And he’s only 21.
A Rookie Year That’s Anything But Ordinary
Emmanwori’s stat line is impressive, no doubt. But the numbers only tell part of the story. What’s really elevated his play - and Seattle’s defense - is how seamlessly he’s adapted to a complex role without losing a step.
From the moment he arrived, head coach Mike Macdonald and his staff had a plan. They didn’t overload him with the entire playbook. Instead, they carved out a role that let him learn one position - nickel - and build from there.
“Over time, Mike allowed him to do a lot more things out of that slot,” said safety Julian Love. “But Mike was great about just saying, ‘Hey, you’re going to learn this position for us.
You don’t need to learn deep safety, corner, or linebacker. You’re going to learn nickel and build off that.’”
That plan worked. Emmanwori’s been a matchup nightmare for opposing offenses - blitzing off the edge one snap, covering tight ends the next, then dropping into zone like a veteran safety. He’s a chess piece in cleats, and Macdonald’s using him like a grandmaster.
Built Different - And Thinks Different Too
Physically, Emmanwori checks every box. Long arms.
4.38 speed. The kind of frame that makes you do a double-take when he lines up across from a guard or a slot receiver.
But what’s made him stand out even more is his approach. He’s not just fast - he’s focused. Not just strong - he’s studious.
“What’s great about Nick is, in addition to all you can see with the physical ability, his eagerness to learn, his urgency, his attention to detail and hunger to be great really stands out,” Macdonald said. “Not a lot of guys that are that talented are interested in doing the amount of work it takes for those traits to come to life.”
That work ethic shows up every day. Emmanwori starts each practice with a one-on-one strategy session with coaches, mapping out the day’s plan. He’s not just reacting - he’s anticipating.
“During training camp, I showed them what type of player I was,” Emmanwori said. “I can blitz.
I can cover, play in the box. If I need to, I can play safety.
I can pretty much do everything. They just had to make it simple for me and make it a clean plan.
And that’s what we did.”
Earning Respect - and Dishing It Out
Despite being the youngest player on the defense, Emmanwori’s already earned the respect of the locker room. His leadership isn’t loud, but it’s real. When cornerback Riq Woolen picked up back-to-back penalties in a recent game, it was Emmanwori who pulled him aside for a quick word.
“It’s not some secret thing that he said to the vets,” Macdonald said. “But his daily approach and mentality - he’s earned the respect of his teammates.”
He’s also not shy about speaking his mind. After Seattle’s divisional round blowout of the 49ers, Emmanwori posted a video of San Francisco’s hyped-up pregame antics with a blunt caption: “Fake ahh energy. None of that was on display at all.”
Yet there’s a deep respect behind the swagger. Emmanwori has openly admired 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, who made the transition from hybrid safety to elite sideline-to-sideline linebacker.
“Every time he takes the field, you definitely can tell he knows what type of player he is,” Emmanwori said. “He’s just a different breed. I mean, he literally does everything from the linebacker position - covering tight ends, zone drops, interceptions, tackles for loss.”
Sound familiar?
The One That Got Away
It’s not lost on anyone - especially in San Francisco - that Emmanwori was still on the board when the 49ers picked at No. 11.
They went with defensive end Mykel Williams and later took defensive tackle Alfred Collins at No. 43.
Emmanwori, sitting there at No. 35, was passed over.
Now, the 49ers will have to deal with him twice a year - and possibly watch him become the kind of player they hoped they were drafting.
“I mean, just look at the guy,” said Seattle tight end Eric Saubert, who spent last season with the 49ers. “He’s not built like your typical defensive player.
He’s got my height, long arms, and moves like a corner. He’s a freak of nature and we found out pretty early how talented he is.”
The Ceiling? We’re Not Even Close
Whether or not Emmanwori takes home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors - and a Week 1 ankle injury may have opened the door for others - it’s clear that his trajectory is headed far beyond just rookie accolades.
“Wouldn’t surprise me at all,” Love said, when asked if Emmanwori could one day be Defensive Player of the Year.
For now, he’s got one more game to play. One more chance to show the world what the Seahawks already know - that Nick Emmanwori isn’t just a rising star. He’s a game-changer.
Or, as linebacker Ernest Jones IV put it: “To be that big, do the things he does - Nick is a unicorn in our sport. But he’s still our rookie.”