Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald already had one versatile defensive chess piece to deploy in two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

Now he has another one.

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Seahawks rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, a second-round pick in last month’s NFL Draft, roamed all over the field as a big-time playmaker at South Carolina. Last season, the ultra-athletic Emmanwori was one of just three FBS players with at least 300 snaps at safety, 100 snaps at slot corner, 100 snaps at outside linebacker and 100 snaps at inside linebacker, according to ESPN Research via ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Emmanwori now brings that versatility to Seattle, where it could pair nicely with Witherspoon’s Swiss Army knife skill set.

As former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus explained on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, Emmanwori’s ability to mix in at the nickel corner spot could free up Witherspoon to play more snaps at outside corner or in the box.

Witherspoon excels at nickel corner, but as Bumpus said, he’s at his best when he can move around the field. Last year, Witherspoon played 48.1% of his snaps at nickel, while logging just 35.4% of his snaps as an outside corner and 13.8% of his snaps in the box, according to Pro Football Focus.

“I don’t think Nick Emmanwori is going to be your every-down nickel in there,” Bumpus said during Thursday’s Four Down Territory segment. “But I think that when you need to have a big nickel, when you need to go up against a tight end or a bigger receiver, you move him there and allow Witherspoon to bounce back to the outside and just make him multiple.

“And I think the more you can use Witherspoon on that defense in multiple ways, it’s just gonna enhance his game,” he added. “And I’m excited to see that. Nick might be able to help Witherspoon. Witherspoon can help Nick. And that combination could be crucial.”

Listen to the full Four Down Territory segment at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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