Gamecocks’ Nick Emmanwori drafted by NFL’s Seattle Seahawks
The wait was longer than expected but, finally, Nick Emmanwori was drafted on Friday night.
Shortly into the second round of NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected the South Carolina safety with the 35th-overall pick.
The fulfillment of Emmanwori’s professional dreams came after a night of anxious waiting. Dozens of family, friends, USC teammates and even an NFL Network crew gathered a day earlier at a house in Irmo waiting for Emmanwori to become the 17th first-round pick in South Carolina history.
And then Thursday night dragged on, hope springing up every few minutes and then dwindling when the commissioner announced more names that weren’t “Nick Emmanwori.”
In a bedazzled button-up and flared jeans, Emmanwori stood most of the night, his eyes darting between the TV and his phone. Surely that magical phone call was coming. It had to be.
For weeks, his name was littered in the first round of mock drafts. Heck, he seemed like a Thursday lock after he turned the NFL Combine into his own talent show, recording a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, a 43-inch vertical leap and a broad jump of 11 feet, 6 inches.
And yet, his phone was silent Thursday. He moved from standing in the living room to sitting on the patio. A change of scenery to change his luck. But more teams kept picking SEC defensive players that weren’t Emmanwori. The Baltimore Ravens even took a safety — Georgia’s Malaki Starks.
When the first round wrapped up just past 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Emmanwori walked back inside to a round of applause. He then spent the next few minutes hugging and thanking every single person — the NFL Network camera operators included — for supporting him.
It was not that his dreams were denied. Just delayed. And, finally, on Friday night, they came true. His phone rang.
Just five years ago, Emmanwori was a rising senior who was invisible to college football teams. It took him attending a Shane Beamer football camp in the summer of 2021 for the Gamecocks coaches to be impressed enough to offer him a scholarship.
Until the last second, no other Division I school followed suit. That ended up just becoming a major victory for South Carolina, which was able to solidify its secondary with a unicorn.
Most kids with Emmanwori’s size and talent end up being wide receivers or edge rushers — not because they hate safety, but because none have the speed or athleticism or willingness to meet a running back in open space to play safety.
Emmanwori started almost immediately for South Carolina, transforming into a freshmen All-American after racking up 85 tackles. That carried on through his sophomore season, and then this year (as a junior), Emmanwori set career-highs in tackles (88), tackles for loss (3), interceptions (4.) and pick-6s (2).
And, somehow, Emmanwori was still a bit of an unknown until he got to the combine this March. An unknown in the sense that every NFL fan didn’t yet know they wanted their favorite team to take a hard look at Emmanwori. Perhaps the fact that he fell to the second round will keep him as a bit of a secret.
That’s fine. He’s proved before he can emerge out of nowhere and become a star.
South Carolina 2025 NFL Draft picks
- Second round: Nick Emmanwori, Seattle Seahawks, No. 35 overall
- Second round: TJ Sanders, Buffalo Bills, No. 41
- Second round: Demetrius Knight, Cincinnati Bengals, No. 49
- Fourth round: Kyle Kennard, Los Angeles Chargers, No. 125
- Fourth round: Tonka Hemingway, Las Vegas Raiders, No. 135
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 7:19 PM.
