INDIANAPOLIS — South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori stands out for his size until you see him run.
A high school linebacker moved to defensive back, Emmanwori is one of the best all-around athletes at the NFL Scouting Combine based on his traits and film. In a matchups-win-games league, Emmanwori is the definition of hybrid defender even if there is no apples-to-apples comparison to the 6-foot-3, 223-pounder.
“I’m a bigger dude and I can run. I’m not scared to go make tackles, not scared to go cover any slot (wide receivers), go cover tight ends,” Emmanwori said. “I just use my size to my advantage.”
He said he feels “excited” to showcase his athleticism and “sweet feet” on the field and predicted a 40 time in the “4.3s” at the combine. He said his footwork is polished from his early days as a cornerback. Of his four interceptions last season, two were returned for touchdowns.
“My footwork is probably the best of this safety class. I don’t think you’ve ever seen a safety like me. A safety like me hasn’t come into this league for a long time with my size, my speed, my ability,” Emmanwori said Thursday.
Emmanwori said his skills are a combination of safeties Kyle Hamilton (Baltimore Ravens), Antoine Winfield Jr. (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Derwin James (Los Angeles Chargers) and Grant Delpit (Cleveland Browns).
He’s vying to be the top safety selected in 2025 with SEC counterpart Malaki Starks (Georgia) and Notre Dame All-American Xavier Watts. Watts is delaying his athletic testing for the Notre Dame pro day due to the extending length of the football postseason into late January.
Emmanwori said it would be a “scary” situation for the NFL if he was drafted by the Ravens to play next to Hamilton because of their versatility as “Swiss Army knives.”
–Field Level Media
