Seahawks rookie Nick Emmanwori earns rare praise as Mike Macdonald spotlights one eye-opening moment. DH
In his first NFL season, the Seahawks rookie already has a lot on his plate.
Rookie Seattle Seahawks cornerback and linebacker Nick Emmanwori was drafted as a project player who could also impact the game immediately. There’s a lot of room for him to grow, but his athletic abilities are second to none.
Emmanwori has played in seven games this season (four starts) and totaled 35 tackles, four tackles for loss, seven pass deflections and a half-sack. The growth is showing week to week, according to head coach Mike Macdonald.
Macdonald was asked about a standout play on film in Seattle’s Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, and Macdonald pointed to one play Emmanwori made to save a touchdown on one of Kyren Williams’ long runs.
Williams broke off a 34-yard run late in the first quarter after the Seahawks missed multiple tackles in the first and second levels. Emmanwori stayed with the play, chasing down Williams and tackling him at the 1-yard line.
“It just shows you the resolve and the growth that Nick’s showing, but that was a phenomenal play,” Macdonald said, per Henderson.
Macdonald referenced a missed tackle in Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals, where Emmanwori went for a punch-out instead of securing the tackle, as a good example of his growth.
Cardinals tight end Trey McBride caught a 15-yard catch-and-run touchdown, but Emmanwori could’ve saved the score. Macdonald preferred that Emmanwori go for the tackle on his second chance against the Rams.
Emmanwori, who was originally drafted as a safety, is playing a hefty load of snaps in his first NFL season. He’s been on the field for at least 87 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in each of the last five games and is essentially playing two different positions.
With all of the defensive injuries the Seahawks have had this season, Emmanwori has been the go-to gadget player for Macdonald’s defense. His athleticism lends Emmanwori that versatility, and it has made him one of the unit’s most important assets.
