The highlight of Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine was the performance of South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori.
How dominant was Emmanwori in his on-field drills? In the 40-yard dash, he ran a super impressive 4.38 seconds. Did I mention that he’s listed a 6’3 and 220 pounds?
You’ve seen how fast he can run. Now look at how high he can jump.
How about how far he can jump? A whopping 11.5-foot broad jump is remarkable.
He just put up a 10.00 in Relative Athletic Score (RAS) for the strong safety position… and if you put him at free safety or cornerback it’d also be a perfect 10.
Nick Emmanwori hit 10.00 at SS, would hit it at FS and CB as well.
He’d also hit 10.00 at WR, though he’d actually be #2 behind Calvin Johnson, there’s just a LOT of WR so due to rounding and such. He’d actually be like 9.999. Hits 9.87 at LB, with size dipping him. pic.twitter.com/kZsecaL1XX
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) February 28, 2025
ESPN has some context behind Emmanwori’s performance:
According to ESPN Research, it made him one of just four players 6-3 or taller to have topped 40 inches in the vertical jump and run a sub-4.4 time in the 40-yard dash since 2003. Bryce Ford-Wheaton (2023), Tariq Woolen (2022) and DK Metcalf (2019) are the others.
He’s also the only safety at the combine since at least 2003 to have a sub-4.4 clocking in the 40, jump at least 40 inches in the vertical and jump at least 11 feet in the broad jump.
Emmanwori had a formal meeting with the Seahawks earlier in the week. Safety is a position influx a bit for Seattle given Rayshawn Jenkins is likely to be traded or released, while K’Von Wallace is a free agent and Coby Bryant is on an expiring contract. At South Carolina, Emmanwori was an All-American First-Team and All-SEC First-Team choice in 2024, picking off four passes (returning two for touchdowns) and recording 88 tackles and a pair of passes defensed. Along with Georgia’s Malaki Starks, Emmanwori is considered one of the elite college safeties in this draft class with potential to go in the first round.
Following his combine performance, at the very least his stock is affirmed.
