Subscribe
Follow Us
The Seattle Seahawks made some major changes after missing the playoffs this past season. Seattle traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders. The team then signed Sam Darnold to a three-year deal to be their new quarterback after his incredible season with the Minnesota Vikings.
Along with Darnold, the Seahawks were able to pick up Cooper Kupp after he was released by the Rams. Seattle made their team better this offseason with their pickups. They are taking a chance on Darnold, but there are high expectations for him. Seattle is also very happy with the draft they were able to put together in April.
In the first round, the Seahawks bolstered their offensive line by taking Grey Zabel from North Dakota State. The team also took safety Nick Emmanowri, tight end Elijah Arroyo, quarterback Jalen Milroe, defensive end Rylie Mills, wide receiver Tory Horton, fullback Robbie Ouzts, and four other players after the fifth round.
With all of these picks, there is bound to be one or two rookies that will stand out during OTAs, and have a great season. Which rookie has stood out in OTAs so far for the Seahawks?
Nick Emmanowri standing out at OTAs
The player that is generating a lot of excitement is Nick Emmanowri. He was the picked in the second round out of South Carolina. This is a player they traded up to get in the second round, as well. With that, the Seahawks not only filled a team need, but they took the best player available at the moment. By drafting Emmanowri, Seattle feels like they drafted two first-round talent players with their first two picks.
Emmanowri is going to work a lot with the first team during OTAs and throughout camp. Per Gregg Bell of the News Tribune, Emmanowri spent a lot of time taking starter reps on Monday. Additionally, defensive coordinator Aden Durde says the second-round pick looks “locked in” in OTAs.
Article Continues Below
In college, Emmanowri finished his junior year with 88 total tackles, and four interceptions. He returned two of those interceptions for a touchdown. He was a ballhawk and a great tackler in college. That is the type of playmaking the Seahawks are looking to get out of Emmanowri during his rookie campaign. If he keeps up what he is doing at OTAs, he is going to be very good for Seattle.
Will Nick Emmanowri be a starter in year one?
Emmanowri is already getting plenty of first team reps. With that in mind, Seattle clearly has high hopes for their second round pick. He will be playing behind Coby Bryant and Julian Love, and those are two very good starters in the Seahawks secondary. However, that does not mean Emmanowri will not become a starter.
Macdonald loves putting the extra safety on the field in his defensive packages. Emmanowri has the ability to play extremely well in coverage. He finished 2024 with a PFF coverage grade of 86.8. His run defense was lower at 73.3, but his rushing defense is still very respectable. Along with that, Emmanowri did not allow a receiving touchdown in his final year at South Carolina.
He is a playmaker with the capability to be a starter in the NFL. Whether or not that happens right away is yet to be seen, but he will get a lot of playing time in Seattle.
