Seahawks ‘fully expect’ Emmanwori to play in Super Bowl

Head coach Mike Macdonald said the Seattle Seahawks “fully expect” standout rookie safety Nick Emmanwori to play in the Super Bowl after injuring his ankle in Wednesday’s practice.

Macdonald told the media Thursday morning that Emmanwori “rolled his ankle” and has a low-ankle sprain.

“He’s gonna do the walkthrough today,” Macdonald said. “Not sure how extensive, if at all, he’s gonna practice. But he’s confident, we’ve got a great plan, fully expect him to play. … He’s doing great and moving around. We’ve just gotta make sure we handle it the right way.

“We’re probably going to be over-careful and over-cautious at this point to make sure we’re rolling going into the weekend.”

Emmanwori was hurt while defending a pass late in Wednesday’s practice, according to ESPN’s Kalyn Kaler, the Pro Football Writers of America pool reporter for the Seahawks’ practice. Kaler reported that Emmanwori walked off the field on his own and “several players and coaches went over to comfort him before he left.”

Emmanwori, an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year finalist, has been an integral part of the Seahawks’ top-ranked scoring defense.

With his rare combination of size, speed and athleticism, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Emmanwori has a unique level of versatility that’s allowed him to play linebacker against heavier offensive formations and nickel corner against lighter sets.

A second-round draft pick out of South Carolina, Emmanwori filled up the stat sheet with an interception, 11 pass breakups, 2.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss and a blocked field goal in 14 regular-season games. He added four more pass breakups in Seattle’s two playoff victories.

Emmanwori also dealt with an ankle injury early in the season. He injured his ankle on the opening defensive series in Week 1 and missed the next three-plus games before returning in Week 5.

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