In an offseason that was filled with good decision making, the Seattle Seahawks made one of their best moves during the NFL Draft a year ago.

Draft expert sees wide receiver as Seattle Seahawks’ top priority

After South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori slid into the second round, the Seahawks traded up – sending a second-rounder (No. 52 overall) and third-rounder (No. 82) to the Tennessee Titans – to get the 35th pick and take Emmanwori. It turned out to be a home-run selection.

Emannwori shined as a playmaker on Seattle’s defense as a rookie with his unique versatility being a key to helping head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense build off its strong finish to the 2024 season. He stuffed the stat sheet with 94 tackles, 15 passes defended, nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery in 17 games including the postseason while lining up all over the field. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 449 snaps as a slot corner, 359 snaps inside the box, 113 on the line of scrimmage, 16 as an outsider corner and seven as a free safety.

With Emmanwori having the speed and athleticism to cover receivers and the size and strength to defend the run in the box and on the edge, it allowed Macdonald’s defense to dictate terms. While most defenses were using personnel in response to what the offense was sending out on the field, Macdonald and the Seahawks rarely budged from keeping at least five defensive backs on the field because of Emmanwori.

Part of the reason Emmanwori was able to fall to the Seahawks in the second round despite having the elite traits of a first-round pick was the fact he played safety, a position that’s valued less than many others in the draft. But the success Emmanwori had in a hybrid role with the Seahawks could start to change that.

During a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Monday, NFL Draft analyst Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic said he thinks many teams will be trying to find their own version of Emmanwori in this year’s draft.

“I think everybody right now is sort of focused on, can we find our version of Nick Emmanwori? Can we find our version of that?” Baumgardner said. “He doesn’t have to be as good or as talented as Nick is, but somebody who can help us change the math a little bit (and) get more athletic and more explosive in certain areas. And this is 100% a draft where I think a lot of teams can do that.

“It’ll be interesting to see how many do sort of copy what Seattle has done, because I think Mike Macdonald should be the blueprint as far as I’m concerned right now defensively. … If you’re not willing to take chances on guys like that and be creative with them, then you’re going to probably pay the price.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

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