South Carolina Football: Gamecock safety named top-10 draft prospect

South Carolina football has several legitimate 2025 NFL Draft prospects on the roster. That should come as no surprise to Gamecock fans as head coach Shane Beamer just broke a record this offseason for the most USC products drafted in a three-year span in program history.

NFL Draft Files released their top-10 NFL Draft prospects at the safety position, and Gamecock Nick Emmanwori was featured in the top half of that list. Coming in at #4, Emmanwori only trails Kevin Wilson, Jr. (Penn State Nittany Lions), Malaki Starks (Georgia Bulldogs), and Xavier Nwankpa (Iowa Hawkeyes) on the list.

Emmanwori is one of the very best athletes in the country. At 6'3"/6'4" and about 220 pounds, he is one of the fastest players on the South Carolina football roster, and he is blessed with elite leaping ability and instincts for finding the football.

Emmanwori has all the physical traits a professional organization could want in a safety prospect, but he also has the mentality needed to be a big-time player at the next level. He is confident and has played both safety spots with an aggressive mindset.

Despite heading into just his junior season, Emmanwori is extremely experienced. He was a primary starter in both of his first two years as a Gamecock. He also has experience playing the nickel, something that could intrigue NFL organizations. Emmanwori's giftedness as a playmaking tackler would be an ideal fit on special teams or in dime/quarter situations at linebacker.

The former Freshman All-American has made some noise this offseason as a popular pick to make the All-SEC squad this fall. Playing alongside two other former Freshman All-Americans at the position in Jalon Kilgore and DQ Smith, Emmanwori will lead one of the country's top safety position groups as Carolina attempts to move themselves back into relevance in the SEC standings.