Not quite a first-rounder, but off the board nonetheless.

Safety Nick Emmanwori, the player who arrived at South Carolina in 2022 as an unheralded recruit with no other power four conference offers, was drafted No. 35 overall after the Seattle Seahawks traded up to get him on Friday night in Green Bay. He will be one of two Gamecocks in Seattle, joining linebacker Ernest Jones IV.

Emmanwori started his career at South Carolina as a back-up safety, but moved into a starting spot immediately when he filled in for an injury on the first drive of his collegiate career in the 2022 season opener against Georgia State. His first career tackle was a fourth-and-1 stop, and he never looked back.

Across three seasons he totaled 244 tackles, 166 solo tackles, 11 pass break-ups and six interceptions, including four in his outstanding junior year. He returned two of those four in 2024 for touchdowns, finding the end zone against Kentucky and Oklahoma. He also was right in the thick of South Carolina’s iconic streak-busting win at Clemson in 2022, playing on special teams and recovering a muffed punt with under two minutes remaining.

Although it was inevitable he would get picked, Emmanwori’s selection confirmed this as the eighth consecutive draft South Carolina has had at least one player drafted. He also represents a significant milestone for Beamer’s tenure. Although a dozen players he coached at South Carolina have been drafted, Emmanwori is the first one Beamer recruited out of high school to reach the NFL as a draft pick.

The first, but likely not the last.

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