By james art 
With the Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl festivities underway, the preparations for the 2025 NFL Draft have begun. And that includes the countless mock drafts.
One of the most famous experts is NFL NetworkDaniel Jeremiah who just released his first mockup of a project for the year. Although Denver Broncos“clearly needing to find an offensive weapon to help standout quarterback Bo Nix, Jeremiah moved away from the groupthink depression of mocking one Denver running back or tight end after another, selecting South Carolina safety Nick Emanuori as the 20 pick .
“Emmanwori gave me some Derwin James vibes when I studied him. I love his instincts and his production,” Jeremiah wrote.
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The Broncos have huge roster holes at running back, tight end and linebacker entering this offseason. The team likely also needs to consider investments along the defensive line and wide receiver.
However, the draft isn’t about immediately filling roster holes, but rather selecting the best available talent. If the Broncos view Emmanwori as a future superstar at safety and a better prospect than an offensive weapon on the board, they should take the former Gamecock.
A poor play by safety PJ Locke down the stretch led to a Buffalo Bills he has been systematically targeted time and time again as a weakness in the Broncos defense. Adding a more versatile, athletic freak safety paired with Brandon Jones could give the defense another much-needed player in the back seven and allow Vance Joseph to call more variety in coverages.
Locke’s lack of athleticism prevented Denver from running more spread looks on the back end and limited Jones’ ability to compete in the box or slot. Emmanwori will likely be a standout at the Combine. As one of Bruce Feldman’s freaks, Emanuori’s reported test results at his size put him in company with a player like Los Angeles Chargers star safety Devin James.
I’m a little late on this, but Nick Emanuori is an athlete of incredible caliber. It just pops up on film and I had to look it up. Feldman’s Freaks:
-11’4 Wide
-42″ Vert
-24 reps of 225
– Squats 565
– Reach ~23 MPH at 230 lbs on GPSVirtually all 94th percentile or better
— AJ Schulte (@AJSchulteFB) January 20, 2025
If Nick Emanuori is doing 11’4 lat, 42″ vertical, 24 reps of 225 (his numbers on the freak list)… he can walk the damn 40, that would be unreal at 6’3 225lbs.
Derwin James components will be easy.
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) January 17, 2025
The Broncos must continue to build an offense around Knicks. Fortunately, Denver has other means besides its first pick to add playmakers. With money to spend in free agency and a full slate of draft picks (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and three 6ths), Denver doesn’t have to take a wide receiver, a tight end and move on at 20.
Emanuori is a special athlete who could challenge Georgia’s Malachi Starks as the first safety off the board. While playing an undervalued position, the Broncos will need to look at safety as a chance to be a transcendent talent to be worthy of a first-round selection.
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