“I think what’s great about Nick is in addition — I mean, we all know, you can see the physical talent, physical ability — but his eagerness to learn and the sense of urgency for detail and his hunger to be great really stands out,” Macdonald said. “Not a lot of guys that are that talented, really, are interested in doing the amount of work that it actually takes for those traits to come to life.”
The second-round rookie fell to the perfect club to unlock his diverse skill set. Macdonald helped Hamilton become a force in Baltimore. He’s doing the same for Emmanwori in one season. The fit isn’t lost on the rookie.
“Just getting drafted to the right team, I kind of expected to come in and make an impact,” the DB told NFL.com on Wednesday. “I knew I could play multiple positions and do different things. I just needed a coaching staff that had a great plan for me and wasn’t scared to work outside the box, and just all in year one, you know, there’s no time to wait. The time is now.”
After dealing with an early-season injury that forced him to sit out three games, Emmanwori has come on as a wrecking ball, smothering receivers, pummeling opponents at the line of scrimmage, and creating havoc.The rookie hit his stride in the postseason, generating eight tackles, four passes defended and a fumble recovery in two playoff wins. His versatility has come to the forefront, with 15.1% of his snaps in the postseason coming at the line of scrimmage, third-highest among defensive backs, per Next Gen Stats. The rookie made three crucial pass breakups in their NFC Championship Game win over the Rams.
“I just kept learning in games,” Emmanwori said of his improvement during the season. “The best lessons are actually like hands-on and in games. So I’m learning a lot of lessons in games and figuring out how teams are trying to attack me and figuring out how teams are adjusting to the way we play our defense, because we kind of play like a unique defense. And just as I’m learning and learning about myself and learning about the game of football and how the NFL works, I’m just starting to see more stuff. And it’s starting to just click for me. Just get more comfortable, but just being in the right spot at the right time, because, you know, I mean, when the plays come, they come to you. You can’t go chase them. They just happen.”
The rookie’s versatility has allowed him to be around the ball and make those plays.