The Seattle Seahawks chose Nick Emmanwori in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft, and the team moved up to do so. They knew that head coach Mike Macdonald could mold the defensive back's skill set into one that could be used to the utmost efficiency in the Pacific Northwest.
Mission accomplished. But could Emmanwori be even better? ESPN's Ben Solak thinks so. One area, the NFL analyst suggests, where the defensive player could improve is fundamental to what he does: Improve in pass coverage.
Solak wrote recently, "But for Emmanwori to really be a dominant defensive back, he needs to accept a bigger challenge in coverage in Year 2. All signs point to him being able to do so. Macdonald raves about Emmanwori's eagerness for increased responsibility, and a full offseason with Macdonald's playbook will certainly help him."
NFL analyst urges Seattle Seahawks' Nick Emmanwori to do one thing
As Solak points out, Emmanwori was moved around quite a bit last season, but was rarely a true safety. He could play that spot, but it also diminishes how much he can help the team. Mike Macdonald likes to disguise his alignments, of course, and Emmanwori is the kind of perfect player to help him do so.
He can line up at edge rusher, slot cornerback, maybe even outside corner, and at safety. Plus, and no disrespect to Solak, but assuming Emmanwori wasn't quite good in coverage as a rookie is misleading. Midway through the season, he struggled. By the end, he was more than solid.
He allowed two touchdown receptions, none after Week 16. He had four passes broken up after that game against the Los Angeles Rams. In the NFC Championship against LA, Emmanwori allowed only two of his five targets to be completed for a total of eight yards.
In the Super Bowl, he did give up five completions on seven targets, but for only 46 yards. 24 of those came on one catch.
Solak does point out that Nick Emmanwori is quite capable of being good in coverage, and he might simply improve by having a season in the NFL. He also missed several games at the beginning of last year after injuring his ankle in Week 1. He could have been further along in coverage skills had he not missed Weeks 2 through 4.
The magic of Mike Macdonald is that he would never peg the 6'3" Emmanwori into one specific spot. The defensive player's ability to play different positions and do so at a high level makes the entire defense better. The player should be better in his second season, too. Most likely, the best of Nick Emmanwori is still to come.
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