Is Nick Emmanwori the next Kam Chancellor?
Kam Chancellor was a four-time Pro Bowl safety and key part of the Seattle Seahawks “Legion of Boom” which was one of the best defensive backfields of the 2010s.
Chancellor, at 6’3” 230-pounds, was an intimidating safety who could put big hits on receivers and stop running backs in their tracks. What really made Chancellor great, though, were his leadership and play-making abilities. He found a way to always be in the right place at the right time and was a field general who made sure his teammates were also in the proper position.
^^ credited to CJ Driggers
Looking at South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori, I would describe his style of play similarly. Emmanwori had a breakout freshman season two years ago and really flashed on tape his ability and willingness to come up and hit; something uncommon from most freshmen. As a sophomore in 2023, Emmanwori put together a solid campaign and finished off the season with his best performance of the year against Clemson.
It may not be fair to compare a rising junior to a future NFL Hall of Famer but Kam Chancellor’s road to glory wasn’t linear or by accident. Chancellor continued to improve throughout his college career and got drafted by a team with a core nucleus which complemented his skillset. I’m confident Emmanwori can have a similar future and am looking forward to seeing him continue to prove this to be true.
Here is a deeper dive into Emmanwori’s game, starting with performance grading for overall seasons 2022 and 2023 - per Pro Football Focus.
For context within the South Carolina defense, this put Emmanwori as the team’s 3rd best defender of players with 500 or more snaps on the 2023 season; behind Tonka Hemingway and Marcellas Dial.
Looking to 2024, I expect we’ll see a similar improvement which would put him in the high 70s or low 80s in terms of PFF grading. While a score or grade isn’t necessarily everything, this type of a grade would be a good indicator that Emmanwori is playing like an all-SEC caliber safety who will strike fear in opposing receivers given his play style.
The two biggest personnel factors for Emmanwori continuing to rise:
- Faster and better linebacker play with starters Debo Williams, Bam Martin-Scott and newcomer Demetrius Knight. This will enable Emmanwori to spend less time being focused on run support.
- Jalon Kilgore’s ability to play at a high level at Nickel or Safety could also enable Emmanwori the freedom to focus solely on his responsibility each play.
Will Nick Emmanwori become the next Kam Chancellor? Maybe.. But regardless of that type of comparison, I’d put my money on Emmanwori having an extremely bright future here at South Carolina and in the NFL.
Read About Gamecocks & the Author, Matt O'Brien HERE