Seahawks Trade Up With Titans, Draft Uber-Athletic DB Nick Emmanwori With 35th Overall Pick
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Corbin Smith dives into the Seahawks decision to trade up in the second round and draft South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori.
Taking advantage of a treasure trove of Day 2 draft capital to acquire a premier talent, the Seattle Seahawks swung a trade early in the second round with the Tennessee Titans to slide up to the No. 35 overall pick, drafting South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori in exchange for the No. 52 and No. 82 selections.
One of the best athletes to ever enter the NFL at the safety position, Emmanwori put on a historic show at the 2025 NFL combine in February, running the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds and posting a 43-inch vertical jump at 6-3, 220 pounds, offering a rare blend of size and athleticism. The Seahawks met with him both on a formal meeting in Indianapolis and an official 30 visit at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
But Emmanwori isn’t just a workout warrior, as he has a polished football skill set to go with his immense physical gifts. He jumped into the starting lineup early in his career as a redshirt freshman for the Gamecocks in 2022, racking up 85 tackles while seeing extensive action both as a deep safety and in the box. As a sophomore, though his tackle numbers dipped a bit, he recorded his first two career interceptions and six pass breakups, setting the stage for a dynamic final season in Columbia.
Emerging as one of the top playmaking defensive backs in all of college football, Emmanwori set career-highs with 88 tackles and four interceptions, returning two of those picks for touchdowns. He also cut his missed tackle rate to under 7.5 percent for a second straight season, demonstrating marked improvement as a thumping finisher, particularly when playing near the line of scrimmage like a pseudo-linebacker.
Coming to Seattle, the 21-year old Emmanwori will join a suddenly deep safety group featuring Pro Bowler Julian Love and fourth-year Swiss army knife Coby Bryant. Those two players each surpassed 70 tackles and combined to record six interceptions between the two of them, with Bryant making all of those picks after entering the starting lineup in place of an injured Rayshawn Jenkins in Week 7.
While the presence of Love and Bryant may leave some to question the decision to trade up for Emmanwori, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has been an advocate of utilizing three-safety sets dating back to his time as a defensive coordinator for the Ravens. His newest secondary weapon provides immense positional flexibility, as he has the athleticism to play big nickel against speedy receivers and the size to handle tight ends from the slot while also being able to play as a single-high safety and box defender in a pinch, which will open up tons of opportunities for snaps in various sub-packages out of the gate.
With Bryant slated to be a free agent next March, Emmanwori also provides a bit of a hedge for Seattle with a far higher ceiling due to his size, athletic traits, and ball skills. At worst, he will be a full-time starter next to Love by 2026, if not sooner, and as Kyle Hamilton proved in Macdonald’s defense in Baltimore, a big-bodied, talented safety offers great value in his scheme.
