Every offseason, The Athletic's Bruce Feldman puts out his Freaks List. He gets input from college football programs around the country and ranks the guys who are the most absurd athletes.
The highest-ranking "freak" in the 2025 NFL Draft class was South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. And the Seahawks drafted him in the second round on Friday night.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Emmanwori is an incredible athlete.
He ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, vertical jumped 43 inches and broad jumped 11 feet, 6 inches.
Emmanwori was also productive for the Gamecocks, with 244 tackles across three seasons.
In 2024, he had four interceptions, including two brought back for touchdowns.
Seattle may have gotten a serious steal.
Here's what one NFL defensive back coach told Feldman about Emmanwori:
“I think he’s a better overall athlete and safety than Derwin James, who is a box safety to me. Emmanwori is a five-tool safety. I think he’s a complete safety. I think he’s as good in coverage as Kyle Hamilton.”
That's incredible praise, comparing him to Ravens superstar Hamilton and Chargers stud James.
If that's really how Emmanwori turns out, he was an insane drop to the second round.
Safeties aren't prioritized as much as some positions, but Emmanwori combined incredible athleticism with impressive production in the SEC.
Seattle fans should be very happy with this one.
