How Seahawks rookie Nick Emmanwori became Mike Macdonald’s ultimate weapon

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- When Nick Emmanwori blows out his 22nd birthday candles on Saturday night on the eve of Super Bowl LX, there's a reasonable chance the celebration will take place in one of the defensive position group meeting rooms in the San Jose Marriott and Convention Center.

From the seat of Seahawks general manager John Schneider and headset of coach Mike Macdonald, Emmanwori has been handing out gifts to Seattle's defense for nine months and counting.

"My goal is a Gold Jacket," Emmanwori said. "I want to be one of the greatest ever."

As determined as Emmanwori is to get there, let's backpedal to how he became a Seahawk.

With the clock ticking on the final picks of the first round in the 2025 NFL Draft, Seahawks general manager John Schneider was on the phone trying to find a trade partner.

One of the top players on their board, South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori, was still there in what Schneider considered a stunning turn of events given their vision of what the 6-foot-3, 220-pound hybrid defensive weapon could do in Macdonald's defense.

Already the Seahawks had selected Senior Bowl star and North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel with the No. 18 pick.

There was no trade match for the Seahawks as a nearly consummated swap with the Philadelphia Eagles fell through, but Seattle had put in place a deal to move up.

"Everybody was passionate about getting him," he said.

They'd be in position with the third selection in the second round to hit their home run with Emmanwori with the 35th overall pick. Schneider gleefully parted with picks 52 and 82 to take 35 from the Titans.

"If we would have come out of the draft without him, we would have been disappointed," Schneider said.

A linebacker background combined with the safety transition at South Carolina was enough for the Seahawks' scouting staff to be more than enamored with the possibility of pairing Emmanwori with 2023 first-round pick Devon Witherspoon. Then came the Scouting Combine and show-stopping numbers. His workout quickly became the stuff of legend. With borderline linebacker size, Emmanwori became the only safety in at least 23 years at the combine with a 4.38-second 40, a vertical of 40-plus inches (43) and a broad jump of at least 11 feet (11'6).

He didn't mind telling peers at the Scouting Combine what he could do, even if they didn't know the depths of his truth.

"I don't think you've ever seen a safety like me," he said at the 2025 Combine. "Well, there are a lot of dudes that came through this league, but a safety like me hasn't come through this league for a long time. My size, my speed, my ability."

As more eyes were opened to Emmanwori's potential impact on the field with Witherspoon -- the fifth pick in the 2023 draft -- injuries stunted his push for a starring role early in the season.

Confidence was still off the charts from Schneider, Macdonald and defensive backs coach Karl Scott, the only holdover from Pete Carroll's coaching staff. Schneider had the long view and context of knowing what a "Legion of Boom" secondary would potentially do for Macdonald, the defensive mastermind who calls Seattle's defense. Macdonald, though, admits he didn't fully digest what Emmanwori was capable of on the field.

His thought process to start training camp was to test Emmanwori while giving him time to absorb the pass-fail processes of daily workouts, linking him closely with Scott and safeties coach Jeff Howard to develop a mental processing and details-driven toolbox to pair with his natural athletic gifts.

And you know what? The 21-year-old was even better than the Seahawks thought he could be as a rookie.

By September, after missing three games with an ankle injury, Emmanwori was proving he had the intelligence to meet the demands of being cross-trained at multiple positions. He went to meetings and film sessions with multiple position coaches. Then regurgitated the Xs and Os like a 7-year-old taking an alphabet test.

Again, the player is not surprised.

His goals-driven approach and "be great" mindset are a literal application of training as the youngest of five boys in his home. Emmanwori's parents are educators -- his father teaches engineering and thermodynamics at South Carolina State -- and allowed him to escape South Carolina and college football only with a solemn vow to earn his degree.

Macdonald shared openly he "never really had a player like him" and it was necessary to "make it up as we go" in the "Nickel Emmanwori" set with three safeties -- Julian Love, Witherspoon and Emmanwori -- on the field at the same time.

In 768 regular-season snaps, Emmanwori lined up in seven different positions. He played in 14 regular-season games and tallied 81 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 11 passes defended and an interception.

When Patriots quarterback Drake Maye began watching film of the Seahawks, he quickly discerned there's a "Where's Waldo?" element to reading Seattle intentions in pass coverage. On that resume tape: Emmanwori all but erased 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey as a receiver. He ran stride for stride with Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson in coverage on the same series he aligned at defensive tackle. Macdonald had him spy quarterbacks, blitz every gap on the line and play 20 yards off the line of scrimmage.

Then he asked Macdonald, what's next?

"He can do everything," Witherspoon said. "He's smooth. He can run 4.3. He's big. He can literally do everything."

Emmanwori might sound confident or cocky, but teammates and coaches have a different perspective.

"I think he has approached us with a lot of humility and approached us, coaches and teammates, for advice," Love said. "He always carries a chip on his shoulders. He is making plays."