(Image via Getty: Nick Emmanwori)

With only days left before the Big Game, there is no room for costly injuries. Being careful is key. Unfortunately, Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori tweaked his ankle during Wednesday’s practice. According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, the rookie safety injured his ankle while defending a pass late in practice. Positive news? The 21-year-old standout walked off the gridiron on his own shortly before 4 PM. Several players and coaches went over to comfort him before he left. Rapoport said Emmanwori will have imaging of his ankle to make sure there is nothing major. “He had an ankle today,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said via a pool report. “We brought him in to look at it, and we’ll kind of go from here and figure out what are the next steps.”

Nick Emmanwori previously missed three games due to high ankle sprain

The rookie safety, selected 35th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, played only four snaps in the regular season opener before suffering a high ankle sprain in his right ankle. He missed three games, then returned and stayed for the rest of the season. In his first NFL season, the nickelback recorded 81 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, and 11 passes defended in 14 games. At the NFL Honors, he was named a finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Ty Okada and Riq Woolen may step up if Nick Emmanwori is unable to play

The Seahawks have two more days to practice for the NFL finale: Thursday and Friday. If the rookie does not participate and cannot play, Seattle may rely on Ty Okada and Riq Woolen to step up for Sunday’s final showdown. Okada accumulated 65 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, one interception, and six passes defended in 16 games while Woolen amassed 41 total tackles, one interception, and 12 passes defended in 16 games this season.

Three South Carolina players to play in Super Bowl

The former South Carolina Gamecocks star is crucial for Seattle. Even veteran players like linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence acknowledge that.“I believe we all found out early in training camp,” Lawrence told Owen Crisafulli of Heavy Sports. “He [Nick Emmanwori] was making so many plays out there. To see a rookie thrive early in training camp, when you first get the playbook, is special. We definitely knew it from Day 1.”Three players from South Carolina, including the rookie safety, are scheduled to play in the Super Bowl: New England Patriots cornerback Marcellas Dial Jr., drafted in 2024, and Ernest Jones IV, drafted in 2021 by the Los Angeles Rams. He played two years for the Rams, then a year for the Tennessee Titans, before joining the Seahawks in 2024.