South Carolina's Nick Emmanwori is First Safety Off the Board in Latest Mock Draft

Former South Carolina Gamecock Nick Emmanwori is the first safety off of the board in the latest NFL mock draft.

The Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl wrapped up this past week as college football players from all over the country got an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of NFL organizations. The Gamecocks had a few players at both events and NFL draft analysts will typically release an updated mock draft following the games. That's exactly what ESPN's Matt Miller did and he had one Gamecock making the first round.

Safety Nick Emmanwori is viewed as one of the top safeties in this year's draft class but many view him as the second-best player at his position behind Georgia's Malaki Starks. However, Miller in his latest mock draft had Emmanwori as the first safety off of the board and going in the first round to the Buffalo Bills at pick number 30. Here is what Miller had to say about the pick:

"Getting more skill-position options for quarterback Josh Allen will be a heavy consideration for Buffalo after it fell short of the Super Bowl again, but it also has to address a secondary that is too often out of place. Emmanwori is a player scouts rave about once they see him in person. At 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds, he has rare speed and range at deep safety, with the power to charge downhill and erase running backs or mobile quarterbacks. He had four interceptions, including one pick-six, and allowed a QBR of just 28.6 this past season."

There is still a ways to go before the NFL draft officially rolls around and the NFL combine will start up at the end of this month, which will essentially be the final opportunity prospects have to increase their draft stock. Emmanwori was a big time contributor on defense for the Gamecocks during his time in Columbia, and it looks like draft analysts are starting to recognize that.