There have been a number of outstanding NFL Scouting Combine performances over the years. This week South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori had another one. Arguably, the best one ever. That’s not hyperbole.
Johnson set the record for the 40 in 2008 at 4.24. The record stood for almost a decade but all these years later Johnson is still remembered for it. He’s remembered for that almost as much as his excellent career. In 2009 Johnson rushed for 2,006 yards.
The combine is a huge deal. It’s vital to how teams recharge themselves. But also, in many ways, it’s a weird event. Players are treated like meat. Poked and prodded like lab animals. But there are moments when the combine makes me appreciate elements of it. The superhuman-ness of some of the athletes. The knowledge of how hard these young men work to reach this point. The mental discipline it takes to be this powerful.
They know that so much of their future careers and lives depends on this moment. So they work hard to make sure the combine goes right.
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What Emmanwori did is far from a guarantee of NFL success. We’ve seen combine stars before who became NFL busts. But this seems different for reasons I’ll get into.
Emmanwori ran a 4.38 40, had a staggering 43-inch vertical jump and 11-foot-6 standing broad jump.
Those numbers alone are incredible. But add this fact: Emmanwori is 6-foot-3⅛ and 220 pounds. It cannot be overstated how unusual it is for someone that size (the height in particular) to run and jump that fast. It’s just not something many humans can do. Klingons, yes. Humans, not a lot.
ESPN had two pieces of data that show the uniqueness of the moment. Emmanwori is just one of four players 6-3 or taller who have surpassed 40 inches in the vertical jump and also to run a sub-4.4 time in the 40 since 2003. ESPN says Bryce Ford-Wheaton (2023), Tariq Woolen (2022) and DK Metcalf (2019) are the others.
ESPN also says Emmanwori is the sole safety at the combine since at least 2003 to have a sub-4.4 40, jump at least 40 inches in the vertical and jump at least 11 feet in the broad jump.
At the combine, when speaking to the media on Thursday, he was asked about what he looks for when preparing to cover players. I loved the specific nerdiness of this answer: ‘Speed, for sure, if he’s a faster dude, I think I can run with him. If he’s a slower dude, I can kind of sit on his routes, play underneath a little bit and trust my help inside. See how big his catch radius (is), and how he attacks the ball.’
Catch radius for the win.
When asked how he uses his height and bulk on the field, Emmanwori explained: ‘I’m 6-3, 223. I’m a bigger dude and I can run. I’m not scared to go make tackles. I’m not scared to go cover any slots or cover any tight end. I just use my size to my advantage.
‘I don’t think you’ve ever seen a safety like me. Well, there are a lot of dudes that came through this league, but a safety like me hasn’t come through this league for a long time. My size, my speed, my ability.’
Go ahead. Brag. Say what you want. Not mad at all.
Because it’s all true.