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South Carolina All-American Nick Emmanwori selected in NFL Draft's second round

by: Kevin Miller04/25/25kevinbmiller52
South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. Photo by: Katie Dugan | GamecockCentral
South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. Photo by: Katie Dugan | GamecockCentral

On Thursday night, South Carolina standout Nick Emmanwori did not hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. Instead, he had to wait until round two on Friday when the Seattle Seahawks selected him with the 35th overall pick, the third pick of the second round. The Seahawks traded up to take Emmanwori. He was the second safety off the board.

With the Seahawks, Emmanwori will look to shore up a sometimes-leaky secondary. The back end of Seattle’s defense was inconsistent in 2024, allowing the team to finish in the middle of the NFL pack both against the pass and against the run.

Emmanwori is the first USC safety drafted in the first two rounds since DJ Swearinger in 2013. Emmanwori earned his place as a high draft pick following a stellar career and one of the most impressive NFL Combine showings in the history of the event. He is also the first Shane Beamer-recruited high school prospect to be drafted.

At the Combine, Emmanwori posted elite numbers in the 40-yard dash (4.38), vertical leap (43 inches), and broad jump (11’6″). His vertical and broad jump were tops in Indianapolis, and his 40 time was faster than all but one safety. Then, he performed extremely well in positional drills. Adding to his athletic freakiness, Emmanwori also measured in at 6-3 and 220 pounds.

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A native of nearby Irmo, after joining USC, Emmanwori then became a hometown hero in garnet and black. Starting as a true freshman, he became a Freshman All-American in 2022. In his final year this fall, the versatile defensive playmaker picked up All-American honors from multiple publications and also was a consensus All-SEC first-team performer.

Leading the Gamecocks in tackles in both 2022 and 2024, Emmanwori developed into an elite player against the pass, too. In 2024, he logged 88 tackles and four interceptions, including two that he returned for scores.

Some of Emmanwori’s accomplishments at South Carolina include:

*2024 First-Team All-American (AP, Sporting News, Reese’s Senior Bowl, College FB Nation)
*2024 Second-Team All-American (FAA, SI.com, CBS Sports, Phil Steele)
*2024 First-Team All-SEC (unanimous)
*2024 Joe Morrison MVP Defense
*2024 Blanchard-Rogers Trophy Finalist
*2024 Safety of the Year (College Football Nation)
*2024 SEC Player of the Year (College Football Nation)
*2024 SEC Defensive Player of the Year (College Football Nation)
*2024 SEC Safety of the Year (College Football Nation)
*2023 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
*2022-23 co-South Carolina Athletics Male Freshman of the Year
*2022-23 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
*2022 First-Team Freshman All-American (ESPN, PFF, On3)
*2022 Second-Team Freshman All-American (CFN, The Athletic)
*2022 First-Team Freshman All-SEC (Coaches)
*2022 Co-Joe Morrison Award – MVP Defense
*2022 Shawn Alexander Freshman of the Year Semifinalist

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