Nick Emmanwori can help create the chaos Seattle’s defense needs to beat Brock Purdy and the 49ers
Emmanwori is a very unique player who will help give the 49ers fits.
There have been plenty of standout rookies this year and Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori is certainly one of them.
The first-year player has been vital to the Seahawks defense and is a huge reason why it’s been one of the NFL’s best units. He has freakish athleticism despite the fact he’s a 6-foot-3, 220-pounder who’s bigger than some of the linebackers in this league.
His traits, along with his on-field results, have given the Seahawks defense a unique edge that basically no other team has: Emmanwori can line up all over the field, creating havoc and chaos by helping Mike Macdonald to deploy all kinds of different looks up front, on the second level, and in the back end.
“In terms of how you manage your roster, really he’s playing a linebacker position,” Macdonald told reporters earlier in the week. “We’re really kind of turning into like a 4-3 base team with a crazy athletic SAM (linebacker) is what we are. When we go to dime, we’re really a nickel 4-3 team. I think the cool thing that our front allows us to do, what Nick allows us to do is we get some front variety that normally you wouldn’t get out of a true four-down team, and I think that’s been pretty cool what we’ve been able to create.”
With that being said, it’s obvious the Seahawks defense is a lot more effective when Emmanwori is on the field compared to when he’s on the sideline. The good news is he’s healthy and ready to play all the snaps needed on Saturday.
Seahawks’ on/off defensive stats regarding Nick Emmanwori (Per Sports Info Solutions)
- Total EPA allowed per play: -0.15 when on the field vs. -0.06 when off the field
- EPA allowed per pass attempt: -0.13 when on the field vs. -0.01 when off the field
- EPA allowed per rushing attempt: -0.2 when on the field vs. -0.13 when off the field
- Total success rate allowed per play: 43% when on the field vs. 45% when off the field
How will the Seahawks use Emmanwori against the 49ers?
Again Emmanwori can do it all. He can line up in the box and play the run or blitz off the edge, and he can hold up in just about every phase of coverage. His presence has also allowed Devon Witherspoon to move outside, and as a result, he’s currently the Seahawks’ highest-graded corner.
So, not only does Emmanwori provide the Seahawks with all kinds of options in terms of usage – he’s also making his teammates better.
One doesn’t have to go far to see how Emmanwori defends the San Francisco 49ers. In Week 18, he spent most of his time either in the box or the slot, where he helped contain both Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle (Kittle won’t play Saturday, either).
By letting him live in those areas, the Seahawks can comfortably combat the 49ers’ offense by living in nickel or dime, as Macdonald mentioned. Kyle Shanahan is known for running the ball out of 11-personnel on a consistent basis, which presents problems for base defenses. He’s also a consistent tackler, which helps against an offense that is very good at generating yards after the catch like the 49ers do.
Having a guy that allows you to matchup in that scenario without taking a bigger body off the field is a huge boon for any defense and it’s easy to see how it’ll come to fruition in the divisional round of the playoffs.
“Nick’s a baller, man,” Ernest Jones IV said after the Week 18 win. “To come out and play as many positions as he does—I’ve said it before, I think Nick has the hardest week during the week, because he’s a dime, he may look like a linebacker, he may look like a safety. So for him to come in as a rookie and be making the plays that he’s making, man, I’m super proud of him. We saw this early on in Nick, and we just had to say, ‘Keep going, keep going,’ and that’s what he’s doing.”
