- Nick Emmanwori has been a star: He ranks top 30 among safeties – out of 91 qualifying players – in all three facets – pass rushing, run defense and coverage – of the game. His 74.6 PFF overall grade also ranks 16th among safeties this season.
- Grey Zabel has also impressed down the stretch: Zabel’s 81.5 PFF overall grade since Week 14 ranks eighth among 75 qualifying guards. This is mainly on the back of some strong run-blocking performances, as his 81.2 PFF run-blocking grade over that stretch ranks fifth at the position.
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Similar to the Philadelphia Eagles last season, the Seattle Seahawks won the NFC in 2025 and are going to the Super Bowl. However, the similarities do not end here. The Seahawks also made it there on the back of significant contributions from their rookies, who deserve recognition for not only earning playing time but also making an immediate impact in the NFL.
Furthermore, another similarity between the two teams is that, akin to Cooper DeJean doing so for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, one of Seattle’s impactful rookies is playing at slot cornerback in Nick Emmanwori. However, while the South Carolina product featured 429 snaps in the slot – the most at any position – he is among the most versatile defensive players in the league already as a rookie and has lined up all across the box. Emmanwori barely played in the first four weeks due to an ankle injury, but he lined up at edge defenders on 88 snaps over the remainder of the regular season, which ranked fourth among defensive backs behind only Kyle Hamilton, Jeremy Chinn and Jaquan Brisker. Similarly, he lined up at linebacker on 276 snaps during this period, which ranked second among defensive backs only behind Nick Cross and just ahead of Hamilton.
While Emmanwori’s versatility would be a strength in itself, it has been accompanied by play that can be categorized as solid for any player, let alone for a rookie playing in such a complex position. He ranks top 30 among safeties – out of 91 qualifying players – in all three facets – pass rushing, run defense and coverage – of the game. His 74.6 PFF overall grade also ranks 16th among safeties this season. The highlight of his season came in the biggest game to date: the NFC Championship Game. Emmanwori was the best player on the field as the Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams to advance to the Super Bowl. Despite being targeted six times, he gave up just 10 receiving yards on three receptions while forcing an incompletion on each of the other three targets. There were 670 instances of a defensive back being targeted at least six times in a game this season, and Emmanwori’s 89.9 PFF coverage grade in the game against Los Angeles ranks 27th among these 670 occasions.
However, Seattle’s second-round pick is not the only rookie to play a key part in the Seahawks’ run this season. The team’s first-round pick, guard Grey Zabel, started all games and played 1,170 snaps while missing only 13 plays all season. When all is said and done, Zabel will most likely have played the fifth-most snaps among all guards in the NFL this season.
Admittedly, the acclimatization period to the NFL was not seamless for Zabel, who was playing for North Dakota State in the FCS prior to entering the NFL. However, he has played his best football down the stretch and has been a reliable player for the Seahawks. In fact, Zabel’s 81.5 PFF overall grade since Week 14 ranks eighth among 75 qualifying guards. This is mainly on the back of some strong run-blocking performances, as his 81.2 PFF run-blocking grade over that stretch ranks fifth at the position. However, this does not mean that he has not improved in pass protection, too. Whereas Zabel allowed 26 total pressures – good for a pressure rate of 5.3 percent – over his first 15 games, he gave up a pressure on just 3.2 percent of plays – four total pressures – across his last four outings.
Zabel will have to play a key role in the Super Bowl because while the Seahawks have similarities to the 2024 Eagles team when it comes to relying on rookies, the New England Patriots will have Milton Williams – who recorded two sacks in last year’s Super Bowl for the Eagles – face off against Zabel on the interior.
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