Talented rookie defensive back Nick Emmanwori continues to show why the Seattle Seahawks traded up to select him early in the second round of the NFL Draft.
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Emmanwori’s career got off to an unfortunate start when he suffered an ankle injury just four plays into the season opener, which sidelined him through Week 4. But since returning in Week 5, the ultra-athletic 6-foot-3, 220-pound safety has put his tantalizing skill set and unique versatility on full display.
While moving around as a safety-corner hybrid in Seattle’s defense, Emmanwori has filled up the stat sheet with six pass breakups, 32 tackles, four tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks through the first six games of his career.
That includes an impressive performance on Sunday, when he recorded four pass breakups, nine tackles and 0.5 sacks in the Seahawks’ rout of the Arizona Cardinals. According to Stathead, it was just the fourth time in NFL history that a player has recorded at least four pass breakups, nine tackles and 0.5 sacks in a game.
During Monday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard and Mike Salk raved about Emmanwori and how his versatility allows the Seahawks to dictate the terms on defense.
“Like, oh, I’m sorry, you want us to put our (smaller personnel) on the field? Well, we don’t have to do that,” Huard said. “Oh, you want us to put our (bigger personnel) on the field? We don’t have to do that.
“We’ll just have this creature out there that’s 6-3, 220, runs 4.38 (in the 40-yard dash) and jumps 43 inches.”
Those rare traits have shown up in some spectacular plays over the past few weeks.
Against the Houston Texans, Emmanwori had a play where he lined up in the box, then retreated into coverage and used his blazing speed and length to make a diving pass breakup on a throw over the middle.
Against the Washington Commanders, Emmanwori bowled through a block and blew up a wide receiver screen to Deebo Samuel for a 1-yard loss.
And on Sunday, Emmanwori notched the first half-sack of his young career. After blitzing hard off the edge, Emmanwori quickly changed direction and teamed with DeMarcus Lawrence to bring down Jacoby Brissett as the Arizona quarterback tried to slide up and escape the pocket.
“To come off of the edge and then have the QB step up, do you know how hard it is for these (blitzers) coming full speed?” Huard said. “You see a lot of little guys come in just guns ablaze, and then they’re just out of control and they run by the quarterback. … For him to do that and contort and bend and then just come back and make that (play), like, you’re not supposed to be able to do that.”
Listen to the full Brock and Salk conversation at this link or in the audio player at the middle of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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