The first round of the NFL Draft is sure to be full of surprises, be it trades or simply unexpected picks.
Depending on how Thursday night goes, the Seattle Seahawks could fall into either category.
Not only are the Seahawks reportedly candidates to trade down, but they could go in several different directions with their first-round pick. Most seem to believe they'll go after an offensive lineman or even a wide receiver, there are a lot intriguing options if they happen to go off-script.
Sportsnaut's Andrew Buller-Ross believes they'll do just that, as he predicted them to take South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori at No. 18 overall on Thursday.
"Mike Macdonald enters his second season as the Seattle Seahawks’ head coach, and now the former Ravens defensive coordinator gets a physical freak in Nick Emmanwori, who may remind some of Kyle Hamilton," Buller-Ross wrote. "Emmanwori’s explosiveness should help him become a playmaker in the pros and Macdonald is the perfect person to maximize his skillset."
As noted, Emmanwori is a complete freak of an athlete. The 6-3, 220-pound safety put on an absolute show at the combine, recording a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, a 43-inch vertical jump and an 11-foot-6-inch long jump.
That's not all, though, as the first-team All-American also has outstanding ball skills. He had four interceptions last season, and returned two of them for touchdowns. He also would've had a third pick-six if not for a controversial penalty in the fourth quarter against LSU.
The Seahawks have two very strong safeties in former Pro Bowler Julian Love and Coby Bryant, who really came on in the second half of the year. Still, there's plenty of room for Emmanwori to shine in Macdonald's rapidly-improving defense.
