He became the cornerstone of the NFL’s toughest defense thanks to a multi-layered role ad-libbed by a creative coaching staff, but Nick Emmanwori is challenged to make a key change for the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks during his second season.
The change relates to how Emmanwori can emulate the premier defensive chameleon in the NFL, fellow hybrid safety and Baltimore Ravens two-time first-team All-Pro Kyle Hamilton. He became a star under the watchful eye of future Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, who used a similarly fluid plan to make Emmanwori an instant hit.
Macdonald’s plan involved 2025 second-round draft pick Emmanwori playing “the plurality of his snaps at slot corner (43%) with another 40% at linebacker and 11% on the edge. Though listed as a safety, he played only 16 snaps at a true ‘safety’ depth. On his average snap, Emmanwori was 3.5 yards off the line of scrimmage; no other safety was under 4 yards,” according to ESPN’s Benjamin Solak.
This wide-ranging deployment is something Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde cooked up on the fly. Yet, Solak thinks the Seahawks need something more Hamilton-esque to help Emmanwori achieve greatness during his follow-up campaign.
Fortunately, the change can happen after the Seahawks added another flexible box safety in this year’s draft.
Nick Emmanwori Urged to Copy Kyle Hamilton
Solak pinpointed what’s missing from Emmanwori’s game when he noted how the 22-year-old “isn’t particularly strong dropping in zone — most young players struggle to play with eyes in the back of their heads as they drop into intermediate zones. But Macdonald hid Emmanwori from getting stretched in zone by blitzing him or tying him to a player in man coverage. NFL Next Gen Stats had Emmanwori with an average zone depth of 3.8 yards last season — closer to the line of scrimmage than the next-closest defensive back by a yard.”
More blitzing from Emmanwori will be key to how the Seahawks create pressure in 2026. Especially since the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder operates, according to Solak, “more as an undersized edge rusher than a supersized safety.”
He’s the central figure in Seattle’s blitz packages, but Emmanwori “needs to accept a bigger challenge in coverage in Year 2.” A challenge Solak uses Hamilton’s career trajectory to illustrate.
Solak noted how former Ravens defensive coordinator “Macdonald could drop Hamilton into zones much more faithfully than he did Emmanwori last season. Hamilton’s zone drop depth as a rotational rookie for Macdonald in 2022 was 4.7 yards — an Emmanwori-esuqe number. In Hamilton’s sophomore season as a full-time player, it was 8.1 yards.”
More zone drops for Emmanwori will not only expand his skill-set. It can also transform the way the Seahawks deny space on the back end, thanks to a big body able to occupy more of a zone.
This is how Emmanwori can be an asset in coverage. The way Hamilton was when he moved away from the line of scrimmage into a deeper role in 2024.
Emmanwori making the same transition will create room for a bold rookie to be a difference-maker closer to the ball.
Seahawks Paving Way for New Hybrid Playmaker
When general manager John Schneider used the 64th-overall pick to draft Bud Clark, he doubled down on the strategy that yielded Emmanwori a year ago. Clark is certainly confident enough to follow the same path after comparing himself to a franchise legend.
Reaching the same lofty heights as any member of the famed ‘Legion of Boom’ will be tough enough, but Emmanwori is already a high bar for Clark. Particularly when it comes to taking on the responsibility of blitzing off the edge and playing at the linebacker level.
What’s more likely is Emmanwori spends more time bailing deep from the second level. Or at least playing underneath zone coverage, assisted by a defensive back like Clark over the top.
It’s just one of the ways Macdonald can use his collection of roving playmakers, led by Emmanwori, to keep the league’s best defense fresh.
Seahawks Challenged to Change Nick Emmanwori