South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Nick Emmanwori reacts after returning an interception for a touchdown. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Seahawks' Nick Emmanwori, Elijah Arroyo part of broader NFL trend

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated May 30, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Most of the Seattle Seahawks' 11 draft picks have already signed their rookie contracts well before OTAs got underway this week, with only two exceptions. Those exceptions are safety Nick Emmanwori and tight end Elijah Arroyo, coincidentally their two second-round picks.

Well, maybe not so coincidentally. As it turns out, the Seahawks are far from the only team yet to sign their second-round picks.

More than a month after the draft, only two second-round picks have signed their rookie deals, and perhaps not so coincidentally, they're the first two picks of the round. Wide receiver Jayden Higgins, the No. 34 pick, signed a fully-guaranteed deal with the Houston Texans on May 8, while linebacker Carson Schwesinger, the No. 33 pick, did the same with the Cleveland Browns a day later.

That means that 30 players selected in the second round have yet to sign their rookie deals, more than in the other six rounds of the draft combined.

So, what's the holdup? Well, it all goes back to the "fully-guaranteed" part.

Higgins and Schwesinger are the first second-round picks in league history to sign fully-guaranteed deals, which are normally reserved only for first-round picks. This development has been a long time coming, but these two are the first to make history.

As a result, however, other second-round picks are now asking for the same treatment. As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk put it, "agents are asking those teams, if other second-round picks are getting fully guaranteed contracts, why should my player take anything less?"

The value of rookie deals is entirely based on their draft positioning, so fully guaranteeing those deals is really the only thing to negotiate.

Nonetheless, both Emmanwori and Arroyo should have big roles to play for Seattle this season. The former is an athletic freak who could become a star in the secondary, while the latter is a strong pass catcher who could feasibly take over as a starter given that the Seahawks lack a true difference-maker at the position.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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