The Seattle Seahawks have several position battles brewing on offense as they enter Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. The competition at center may have ended by default because incumbent starter Olu Oluwatimi has not been healthy enough to play in the preseason. But I think Jalen Sundell may have won the job regardless of Oluwatimi’s health.
Some are predicting a similar outcome at running back, where nagging injuries to 2024 starter Kenneth Walker III may hand the job over to Zach Charbonnet. I think that one is up in the air to a much greater degree than the battle at center. Walker is a more dynamic runner, and Klint Kubiak might prefer him if he proves he can be reliable.
Those questions, and several others at receiver and tight end, will work themselves out in the weeks to come. Over on the defensive side of the ball, there is a battle brewing that may get a very clear and long-term answer right off the bat.
How quickly will Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald deploy his star rookie defender?
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One of the things that makes second-round draft pick [Nick Emmanwori so enticing](https://12thmanrising.com/seattle-seahawks-draft-pick-crash-defensive-rookie-year-race) is his versatility. Other than the interior of the defensive line, there is nowhere he can’t line up. And on certain obvious passing downs, don’t be surprised to actually see him standing over the opposing center. He will be in a two-point stance, threatening to blitz at some point this season.
Though listed as a safety. Emmanwori is not really battling early on for snaps with either Julian Love or Cody Bryant. If Bryant falters at all, that could change, but that wouldn’t be until further into the season. The player with whom Emmanwori is in most direct competition for snaps early on is almost certainly third corner Josh Jobe.
Emmanwroi has the athletic skills to play cornerback, though that would obviously entail some risk. He hasn’t done it before, and learning a new position in the pros is not usually a good idea.
Then again, Emmawori is not a usual athlete.
Mike Macdonald may [want his best cornerback](https://12thmanrising.com/seattle-seahawks-devon-witherspoon-earns-elite-recognition-riq-woolen-snubbed), Devon Witherspoon, to play in the slot, which would allow him more all-field access. It’s the type of position Kyle Hamilton – perhaps the most versatile defensive secondary player in the league – manned for Macdonald in Baltimore.
Emmanwori, given his size, may be even better suited to play that role. If he does end up in a kind of nickel safety/slot corner hybrid, Witherspoon could shift to the perimeter, where he would be one of the best cover corners in the league.
Emmanwori may be slow to develop. That would not be any cause for alarm. It would be a fairly standard trajectory for a defender who is being asked to do many things. However, there’s a chance he is already as good as advertised, and if that’s the case, Macdonald can’t afford to take him off the field. The rookie could take snaps from a lot of players because he can play a lot of roles. I suspect Jobe would give up the most.
San Francisco has questions at wide receiver, especially with their top returning wideout, Brandon Aiyuk, unavailable early on. They may run more 12-personnel sets with two tight ends. If that’s the case, Emmanwori would almost certainly be on the field along with Love and Bryant.
But the 49ers also have a de facto receiver in running back Christian McCaffrey. Some defenses will defend him with an extra corner due to his dangerous pass-catching talent. That in turn makes it easier for him to run.
A player like Nick Emmanwori is the perfect answer for that challenge, provided the rookie is ready to step into a major role right away. If so, he will be taking snaps from several different nominal starters on defense, and Josh Jobe may be the canary in the coal mine beginning on Sunday against San Francisco.