Draft Profile: Nick Emmanwori
Safety, South Carolina
6’3, 225 lbs.
Projected: First Round
As we get closer and closer to Draft Day one thing that has surprised me a little is how much time the Steelers have spent scouting safeties. With Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott under contract, safety doesn’t really stand out as a need. Are Mike Tomlin and Co. just completing their due diligence, or is this a position they are giving serious consideration?
The past few seasons, Minkah Fitzpatrick hasn’t lived up to superstar status for a lot of fans. This can be attributed to playing out of position and sometimes scheme. Some analysts believe this makes him expendable and possible trade material. It is also known that Omar Khan is more open to trades than his predecessor and will likely look to recoup the second-round pick used to obtain DK Metcalf. So with all those things considered, maybe safety is an option after all.
Every year there is a player that lights up the NFL Scouting Combine and vastly improves their draft stock. This year it is easy to say that player is none other than Nick Emmanwori out of South Carolina. He has the body type of a linebacker yet runs like a wide receiver. And boy can he hit. At 6’3, 225 pounds Emmanwori ran a 4.38 40-yard dash. He then followed that up by posting a 43” vertical and hit 20 reps on the bench. Not a lot of players do all of the drills anymore, but Emmanwori wanted to put NFL scouts on notice. I believe he succeeded.
Strengths:
The first traits that stand out as strengths are his previously mentioned size and athleticism. Emmanwori is elite in these categories. In the 2024 season Emmanwori totaled 4 interceptions, half of which he returned for touchdowns. He has great closing speed and an enormous wingspan which aided him in racking up tackles in each of his years in college. He matches up very well with receiving tight ends. Emmanwori has good ball skills and leaping ability. He also did very well academically and made the SEC Honor Roll.
Weaknesses:
Due to his size, Emmanwori’s hips are not particularly fluid which impacts his change of direction. This makes him a less-than-ideal slot defender in multiple wide receiver sets. While he is a willing tackler, he can be over aggressive and take bad angles. This causes him to be out of position to make the play which is particularly bad for the safety position. Emmanwori can sometimes rely too much on his athleticism and needs to work on his discipline. He can also be fooled by the quarterback’s eyes when looking off his receivers.
How he fits:
Nick Emmanwori is such a unique physical prospect it’s hard to find a team that he wouldn’t fit on. All of his negative traits can be corrected with proper coaching apart from his fluidity. He is such a gifted athlete with also a strong academic background that any coach would want a player of Emmanwori’s caliber on their team.
Player Comp:
So I’m going to take the easy route and go with Kyle Hamilton of the Baltimore Ravens. Like Hamilton, Nick Emmanwori is an athletic freak that can be used as a weapon in a lot of different ways. Both players have unique size for the safety position as well and enter their respective drafts as first round prospects. Whichever team ends up drafting Emmanwori would be wise to utilize him in similar ways to how Baltimore uses Hamilton.
Conclusion:
If the Steelers are drafting purely from a “best player available” point of view and Emmanwori happens to fall in their laps, then this is an easy call. Do they have other needs? They sure do, but all of those needs are not going to be met in this draft. Unfortunately, the Steelers are in a position where they will need a couple of drafts to get into sustained contention again. So, the Steelers’ brass has to be thinking about not just this upcoming season, but who is the right fit for the foreseeable future. Until they find a long-term franchise quarterback, any position should be considered in the draft and any player considered expendable. Therefore, the Steelers drafting a safety is by no means out of the question.
