NFL teams are set to begin training camp in a matter of days, yet many of them are dealing with the same problem.
Of the 32 players selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 30 of them have yet to sign their rookie deals with their new teams. The only exceptions are Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger and Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins, the first two picks of the round.
Why is that the case, though? Well, it all has to do with the deals those two signed. Higgins became the first second-round pick to ever get a fully-guaranteeed day when he signed back in Early May, and Schwesinger followed shortly after. Now, every second-round pick wants one of their own, and rightfully so.
As the third pick of the second round, selected at No. 35 overall just after Higgins, Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori is now in the spotlight as this league-wide standoff continues. In fact, Kyle Crabbs of A to Z Sports believes him to be "one of the most important people in football" right now.
"It isn't often that the 35th overall draft choice can say that come mid-July before ever playing a down, but that's exactly where things stand," Crabbs wrote. "Players picked with the 33rd and 34th overall draft choices successfully secured a fully-guaranteed deal. Emmanwori is next in line and almost assuredly who everyone is waiting on to make the next decision. If a team that has an earlier report date caves and concedes full guarantees to someone picked later in the round, the decision will be made for Seattle."
Emmanwori is represented by Athletes First, an agency led by David Mulugheta that has had no problem taking hard stands to get its clients what they want. This appears to be a game of chicken between Emanwori and the Seahawks, and right now, there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.
Of course, it will also be interesting to see what happens with the players selected just after Emmanwori. If a player selected after him gets a fully-guaranteed deal, then it will be hard for the Seahawks to deny him that same treatment.
