There is no love lost between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks as the two NFC West rivals have had plenty of hard-fought battles against one another over the years. While we have to wait until this fall to see the two sides do battle again, one of the newest members of the rivalry is already getting some verbal jabs in at the Niners.
The Seahawks spent a second-round pick, the No. 35 overall selection to be exact, on University of South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori during the draft. Despite being less than a week into his NFL career, he's already made a threat to any 49ers going over the middle against him this coming season during an appearance on Wyman and Bob on Seattle Sports 710.
βHonestly, it depends what team weβre playing. If weβre playing the Niners, Iβll lay a dude out,β Emmanwori said when asked whether he prefers intercepting a pass or making a big hit. βBut another team, Iβll probably get an interception though. But honestly man, I like both. Getting an interception is awesome because I like to run it back for touchdowns. But laying a dude out, like taking his soul, making him feel it, that also feels good too.β
This sort of response should be expected from a player like Emmanwori as he made a name for himself in the SEC by making big hits. However, the former Gamecocks star should be careful what he wishes for as, the NFL is a completely different ball game.
San Francisco, in particular, isn't a team he should want to become a target of. Tight end George Kittle is one of the scariest tight ends in the league, and Christian McCaffrey's a physical freak of nature who's forced 10-plus missed tackles in five of his seven seasons played.
Plus there's fullback Kyle Juszczyk (6-foot-2, 235 pounds) and star offensive tackle Trent Williams (6-foot-5, 320 pounds) to worry about as blockers who willing get out to the second level, where safeties like Emmanwori reside.
We'll find out soon enough just how willing Emmanwori is to stick his head in there when he has a freight train like Kittle heading his way. If it is contact that the Seahawks rookie wants, then one would think the Niners will be happy to deliver.