It\u2019s why the Seahawks traded up to grab him with the No. 35 overall pick.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s why the 6-foot-3, 220-pound South Carolina product could be such a tantalizing addition to head coach Mike Macdonald\u2019s ascending defense.<\/p>\n
Macdonald\u2019s cutting-edge scheme places an emphasis on positional versatility. There was perhaps no greater example of that than All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, who Macdonald deployed all over the field as a versatile chess piece during his success-filled run as the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n
And now, Macdonald just might have his own version of a defensive unicorn in Seattle.<\/p>\n
As former NFL quarterback Brock Huard<\/a> described earlier this week during a Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports\u2019 Brock and Salk, Emmanwori is like a queen on a chess board.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could just feel it with coach Macdonald,\u201d Huard said. \u201cYou could just read his body language (last weekend) when asked about it \u2013 like, I just can\u2019t wait to get this chess piece.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a queen, man. He\u2019s no rook. He\u2019s no bishop that can only move diagonally. Like, this is a queen that can move all over this chess board.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2018All options are on the table\u2019<\/p>\n Last season at South Carolina, Emmanwori put his rare skill set on full display.<\/p>\n He made plays all over the field, filling the stat sheet four interceptions, two pick-sixes, two pass breakups and three tackles for loss. He 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\u2019s Brady Henderson.<\/a><\/p>\n And then at the NFL combine, Emmanwori put on another eye-catching show. According to ESPN Research<\/a>, he became just the fourth player 6-foot-3 or taller since 2003 to top 40 inches in the vertical jump and run the 40-yard dash in under 4.4 seconds.<\/p>\n Now, the question becomes: How will Emmanwori be used in Seattle?<\/p>\n The Seahawks already have a strong safety tandem in Julian Love and Coby Bryant, so that gives Macdonald plenty of flexibility to play Emmanwori in a variety of spots.<\/p>\n \u201cI think all options are on the table,\u201d Huard said. \u201cThis is just gonna be one of those classic situations that you see with baseball prospects, football prospects. Like, you tell me. You tell me whether or not you can handle the workload. Your play will tell me \u2013 can you play really, really fast in these different spots? And what does that look like in different unique packages in nickel and in dime?\u201d<\/p>\n Huard then wondered if Emmanwori could potentially allow standout cornerback Devon Witherspoon to spend more time as an outside corner rather than at the nickel spot?<\/p>\n \u201cDoes it allow them a little freedom to put Spoon back outside at corner, where you can have some real strength with (cornerback) Riq Woolen and him? And then (you\u2019d have) this dude (Emmanwori) around the line of scrimmage cleaning stuff up on aisle nine.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, there\u2019s a lot of excitement about molding that kind of talent to this defensive scheme.\u201d<\/p>\n Brock Huard answers three football questions during the daily Blue 88 segment of Seattle Sports\u2019 Brock and Salk.<\/p>\n More on the Seattle Seahawks<\/p>\n \u2022 Stacy Rost: Wait \u2013 why are Seahawks longshots to win NFC West?<\/a>
\u2022 Daniel Jeremiah thinks Seahawks\u2019 Jalen Milroe could start games in Year 1<\/a>
\u2022 Bump: A position the Seahawks still need to address<\/a>
\u2022 Daniel Jeremiah: Why the Seahawks got two late-round steals<\/a>
\u2022 Two analysts detail what they liked about Seattle Seahawks\u2019 draft <\/a><\/p>\n
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