South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori named Bruce Feldman’s top ‘freak’ at NFL Combine

The NFL season is over, which means that it’s time to turn the focus to the NFL Draft and some of the prospects that will be entering the league next season. The NFL Scouting Combine is on the horizon and teams are convening to get a closer look at some of the prospects.

South Carolina star safety Nick Emmanwori is one of the biggest sleepers in this draft. Safeties don’t usually get drafted very high, but Emmanwori has the physical traits combined with the solid tape that could see him rise up draft boards late in the process.

Each year, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic puts together his “Freaks List” of the biggest freak athletes in college football. Naturally, many of those players end up at the combine in the spring and Emmanwori is at the top of the list of guys that Feldman has his eye on in Indianapolis.

“The former three-star recruit was lights-out again last season, earning first-team All-America honors after leading the team with 88 tackles, to go with four interceptions and three tackles for loss,” Feldman wrote. “He turned 21 this month. At 6 feet 3 inches and 220 pounds, he ran, I’m told, a 4.35 in the 40 last week.”

Emmanwori would be a great fit in a downhill, physical defense like the Baltimore Ravens or the Seattle Seahawks. Even though he is fast in a straight line, his lateral quickness leaves him susceptible to playing coverage in space. Instead, his big frame allows him to cover bigger players, such as tight ends, and use his instincts to make plays in underneath zones.

Emmanwori’s biggest strength is arguably his ability to play in the run game. At that size, he is essentially like an extra linebacker when you roll him down into the box to play against the run, but he still has the speed to be effective on the backside and contain perimeter runs.

The star safety’s versatility will allow teams to stay in nickel packages even against big bodies due to his ability to play the run and the pass, which is a very valuable asset in today’s game. That skill, combined with his incredibly athletic ability at his size, could help him sneak into the first round in April.