2025 NFL Draft Steelers News

Steelers Host Freak-Athlete Safety for Pre-Draft Visit

Alan Saunders   |  

Updated: Apr 4, 2025

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The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted South Carolina strong safety Nick Emmanwori for a pre-draft visit on Friday, continuing their consistent interest in the safety position in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Steelers previously sent secondary coach Gerald Alexander to the South Carolina pro day, where he put Emmanwori through his position drills.

The Gamecocks safety is a potential first-round draft pick for the Steelers, either as their pick at No. 21 overall or as a trade-back option. He’s currently the No. 24 player on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board. The Greensboro, North Carolina native has been steadily rising on draft boards through the pre-draft process — most notably due to a spectacular performance at the 2025 NFL Combine.

Checking in at 6-foot-3 1/8 and 220 pounds — for comparison, Steelers inside linebacker Payton Wilson was 6-foot-3, 233 last year — Emmanwori ran a blazing 4.38-second 40-yard dash, and that was just the start of his combine dominance. He also posted a 43-inch vertical, an 11-foot-6 broad jump, and put up 20 reps on the bench press.

Also Read:
Four Freak Athletes for Steelers to Target in 2025 NFL Draft

Despite being the heaviest safety in the draft class, he had the second-fastest 40 time, had the best vertical, the best broad jump and the best bench press. His Relative Athletic Score was a perfect 10.0 — make Emmanwori the best-tested safety in the history of the metric. Emmanwori just turned 21 years old after the combine, making him also one of the younger players in the draft class.

On the field, Emmanwori was a terror for the Gamecocks this season. In 13 games, he recorded a team-high 88 tackles, defended two passes, and had four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.

He was named first-team All-SEC and first-team All-America by the Associated Press. The junior decided to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility to test the draft waters.

The Steelers don’t have an immediate need at strong safety, but starter DeShon Elliott is entering the final season of his contract and backup Juan Thornhill is only signed to a one-year deal.