Seattle’s outstanding defense powered the Seahawks to a win in Super Bowl 60. The unit known as the ‘Dark Side’ stifled opposing offenses in the postseason.
They suffocated the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round, held on against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game and stonewalled the New England Patriots for three and a half quarters of the Super Bowl.
Coach Mike Macdonald oversaw a championship-winning defense in his second season at the helm in Seattle. So what changed from year one to year two?
The origins of Seattle’s title-winning defense trace back to before Macdonald’s arrival in the Pacific Northwest. But one rookie who played an outsized role in the franchise’s march to a second Lombardi Trophy was safety Nick Emmanwori.
A year ago, the South Carolina product put on a show at the NFL scouting combine. His addition did enough to create a title-winning formula for the Seahawks.
Thanks to his success in Seattle, other teams could be looking for players like Emmanwori of their own. Here’s what to know about the formula – and potential players teams could target to emulate that success.
Why is Nick Emmanwori important?
Emmanwori had one of the best combine performances of the 2025 NFL Draft class. He measured in at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds as one of the bigger safeties in the class.
He really showed out during testing. His explosiveness was on full display with a 4.38-second 40-yard dash. He hit 43 inches in the vertical jump and 11 feet, 6 inches in the broad jump. All of that translates to near-linebacker-sized talent on defense with elite athleticism.
The Seahawks traded up to get him in the second round of the draft. In doing so, Emmanwori allowed the Seahawks defense to stay in nickel with five defensive backs. Thanks to his size and strength, Seattle could stay in nickel personnel and still hold up in run defense.
Instead of opposing offenses dictating to the Seahawks defense, Seattle could stay in a single personnel package and let Macdonald’s creativity as a playcaller shine.
The scariest part is he may just be getting started.
‘I know I’m just scratching the surface,’ Emmanwori said after winning the Super Bowl. ‘I’m thinking of my prime, like how can I get to my prime? In my mind, this is just stuff that I’m putting together, but when I put everything together as far as the coverage and the pass rush and the playbook and just seeing the game, that’s what I’m looking forward to.’
The next Nick Emmawori
Fans and teams alike should know it’s hard to find another Emmanwori. He’s a rare, elite athlete for his size. But if you’re looking for options to replicate the freedom Emmanwori gives Seattle, a good place to start is with faster linebackers or bigger, athletic safeties.
That opens up the options in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
The most obvious answer is one of the Ohio State linebackers, Arvell Reese or Sonny Styles. They’re both big-bodied athletic outliers who can cover, blitz and defend the run at will.
They’ll be off the board early, though. If teams are looking at big, athletic safeties, two prospects could see their names called earlier than expected: LSU’s A.J. Haulcy and South Carolina’s Jalon Kilgore.
Haulcy measured in at 6-foot and 215 pounds. Ideally, he wants to play slightly heavier, more like 219 to 221 pounds.
In his three stops in college over four years, he worked under five different defensive coordinators.
‘I feel like each system it taught me different things,’ Haulcy said. ‘My first system, we had a 3-3-5… I feel like going into my next year when we ran a two-high shell instead of a three-high, that was just a lot different. I feel like I learned the ins and outs of the two-high, then I had the 3-3-5, then also we played a lot of one-high last year.’
He feels like each new year built on top of the previous one.
‘Going through each system, picking up different things and what can help you in each coverage, in each scheme,’ Haulcy said.
The former Tiger has the size and athleticism to be a factor in run defense. His varied background in coverage and a natural nose for the ball earned him 10 interceptions and 15 pass breakups in his four-year college career.
The option from the SEC is Kilgore, the man who stepped into a larger role after Emmanwori’s departure from South Carolina to the NFL.
The fellow Gamecock defensive back measured in at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds at the combine. He played less in the box for South Carolina than Emmanwori but looked at home in either the nickel or safety spots.
‘I’ve always been a versatile guy my who life so I never just singled myself to doing one thing,’ he said. ‘I definitely like nickel but I can also play safety as well.’
He put up great numbers during athletic testing. Not quite to Emmanwori’s level but few are. He hit 4.40 seconds in the 40-yard dash – fifth-best at the position – and 10 feet, 10 inches in the broad jump, tied for the best among all safeties.
Like Haulcy, he’s not just an athletic run defender. Kilgore forced a 68.1 passer rating when targeted in 2025 with nine pass breakups and two interceptions. He tallied 18 pass breakups and eight interceptions over his three-year career with South Carolina.
That mix of run defense, athleticism and ball skills could be tailor-made for a dynamic safety at the NFL level.
‘I feel like that’ll translate well,’ he said. ‘A lot of that is instincts, being a four-sport athlete all of my life. And playing receiver and quarterback in high school, so I feel like I just know when to high-point the ball, get my head back and just take the ball.’