12s know what the Seattle Seahawks need in the 2025 NFL draft. An explosive wide receiver would be great, and an outside cornerback with a lot of upside would be, too, but the interior offensive line has to be addressed. General manager John Schneider doing that in the first round would be shocking.
Instead, Schneider is much more likely to take the best player available. That can be a good philosophy if the O-line is fixed. Maybe the best player available is an IOL such as Gray Zabel, but that is unlikely.
Seattle might have the perfect Seahawks player fall into their laps, however. The team hopes the defense will be elite in 2025, as any upheaval this offseason came on the offensive side of the ball. Hopefully, that unit will be good, but the team will win based on how well head coach Mike Macdonald's defense plays.
Safety Nick Emmanwori would be a perfect choice for the Seahawks in the first round of the 2025 draft
Adding a defensive piece in the first round might make as much sense for Seattle as an offensive spot. If Macdonald's defense is excellent, assuming the team makes the playoffs next season, that could be very dangerous. Why stick with what you have when a high-end edge rusher would improve the group?
Or, instead of an edge rusher, what about a safety? And not just any safety, but a Kam Chancellor clone. Chancellor put the boom in the Legion of Boom as he was extremely athletic, 6'3" and 225 pounds, but also ultra-aggressive. He was good in coverage and fantastic in run support. He was also excellent on special teams.
One of the closest players to Chancellor's ability will be available in the 2025 draft, and the Seahawks will meet with him before. South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori is 6'3" and 220 pounds and possibly even more athletically gifted than Chancellor. At the NFL combine, he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash with a vertical leap of 43 inches.
As a junior in college this past season, Emmanwori was a First-Team All-American who had four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. His quarterback rating allowed was only 37.1. He also had at least 18 run stuffs every season of his college career.
The Seahawks have two clear starters at safety heading into the 2025 season. Julian Love has made the Pro Bowl in a Seattle uniform, and Coby Bryant took a big step up under Macdonald last year. Bryant is entering the final year of his rookie deal, though. As far as raw athletic ability, he pales in comparison to Emmanwori.
Macdonald is also the safety whisperer. In 2023, when he was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, Macdonald turned Kyle Hamilton into a First-Team All-Pro, and Geno Stone had seven interceptions. Emmanwori starting his career with Macdonald will only boost his growth.
Sure, Seattle needs help from the interior offensive line in the draft. Nick Emmanwori, though, could be the next Kam Chancellor for the Seahawks. That could help turn the defense into LOB 2.0.