The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team.
Another draft is on the horizon, which means the Washington Commanders have another chance to improve their roster and get closer to competing for a championship.
The Commanders put themselves among the best teams in the league last season, going from 4-13 in 2023 to earning an appearance in the NFC Championship in head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters' first year leading the franchise. Although their season ended against the Philadelphia Eagles, they now have a clear foundation for the future with former No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels in the backfield.
Now, the Commanders are picking on the opposite end of the first round with the No. 29 overall selection. They got the most important piece last year with Daniels, but there are still several positions they need to address before the 2025 season begins.
In anticipation of that selection, Commanders.com will highlight one mock draft from a draft expert each week to delve into how that player, or players, would fit with Washington. This week, we're staying on the defensive side of the ball and looking at a safety prospect that **ESPN's Field Yates** believes could be a good fit for Washington.
Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
Jeremy Chinn has moved on from the Washington Commanders to the Las Vegas Raiders after one year with the Burgundy & Gold, but his replacement could be available at the end of the first round.
South Carolina's Nick Emmanwori is one of the best safety prospects in this year's draft class, and depending on which draft analyst you follow, NFL teams couldn't ask for a better prospect at the position. He's physical, a willing participant in run support and freakishly athletic. If some of that sounds like it's been ripped from Chinn's skill set, you're not alone; **NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein** proclaimed in his draft profile of Emmanwori that his best comparison is the 2020 second-round pick.
Safety is not a glaring need like other positions on the Commanders' roster, but the work general manager Adam Peters has done in free agency gives them some leniency to take the best player available at No. 29 overall. Yates believes that will be Emmanwori if he falls to them.
"The Commanders added veteran defensive back Will Harris in free agency to replace Jeremy Chinn, but Emmanwori could have some appeal to their defensive staff, given Dan Quinn's history of using safeties in creative ways," Yates wrote.
Emmanwori certainly has enough athleticism to be a versatile piece in the secondary if that were what Quinn and the defensive staff wanted to do with him. He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash -- the second-fastest among safeties -- and had the best vertical jump (43 inches) and broad jump (11-foot-6) of anyone in the class. NextGenStats gave him the best production and athleticism scores for a safety, and his Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is a perfect 10, ranking him first for his position since 1987.
But it isn't just that Emmanwori has an abundance of traits; how he uses them makes him one of the draft's most productive prospects, regardless of position. His highlights are filled with plays of him breaking on routes for interceptions and delivering hits near the line of scrimmage in the run game. He led South Carolina with 88 stops in 2024 and earned First Team All-American honors from several media outlets because of it.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has Georgia's Malaki Starks slightly ahead of Emmanwori on his big board, but he acknowledges that Emmanwori's talent level is unique.
"Emmanwori reminds me of Kyle Hamilton, whom Seattle coach Mike Macdonald worked with previously as the Ravens' defensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023," **Kiper wrote.** "We witnessed Emmanwori's speed (4.38 in the 40) and explosiveness (43 inches in the vertical jump) at the combine, and we saw his ball-hawking traits (four picks) last season."
As a cover defender, Emmanwori's blend of size (6-foot-3 and 220 pounds) and athleticism allow him to play in single or double high coverage, at nickel or closer to the line of scrimmage and cover against a variety of offensive weapons from bigger, pass-catching tight ends to quicker slot receivers. He can handle himself in man coverage but operates better as a zone defender with an 83.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, as three of his four interceptions in 2024 came in such coverage.
Regardless of how he's used, Emmanwori gets results. He didn't allow a touchdown in 2024 and held quarterbacks to a 37.1 passer rating on 417 coverage snaps. And, as Yates alluded in his assessment of why the Commanders would be interested in Emmanwori, he knows how to create game-changing plays.
"Emmanwori is a menace with the football in his hands and took two of his four interceptions to the house last season," Yates wrote.
Emmanwori's production in college, while impressive, was not always consistent. He can be a menace, as Yates put it, like he was against Alabama last season with 10 tackles; or he can be closer to a nonfactor as he was two weeks later against Texas A&M with two tackles and a pass breakup.
There are also times when his abilities in run support seem to disappear. The willingness is still there, but he doesn't always have the quick trigger that allows him to stuff running backs as he did at the goal line against Arkansas. He occasionally struggles to get off blocks, which isn't an uncommon issue, especially when matched up against bigger opponents, but he'll need to improve that part of his skill set to truly shine in the NFL.
Still, Emmanwori has shown that he's more reliable than not and could have a bright future in the next part of his career. With the right direction, he could be exactly what the Commanders need for their defense.
"He has rare NFL traits and talent," Zierlein wrote, "so a boost in urgency could take him from a good starter to a Pro Bowl-caliber player."
