The team at The Athletic released its mock draft for Days 2 and 3 of the draft. With their picks in Rounds 2 and 3, they have Miami doubling up in the secondary.
Round 1, Pick #13: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
“This would be a total steal — Emmanwori is one of the best athletes in this draft. No one rolled the dice on him in Round 1, and safety is a tough position to peg, but it’s certainly possible Emmanwori falls this far Friday. He also could be a trade-up target for a number of teams.“
NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
The assessment of Emmanwori’s tape could depend on which games you watch. He’s a physical specimen with rare size and outstanding speed, but he doesn’t always play with a “first to the action” mentality in run support. When he gets it cranked up, he becomes a much more effective tackler and overall run stopper from sideline to sideline. He’s capable of playing over the top, inside the box or even matching up with pass-catching tight ends. He’s upright with average transition fluidity in coverage, but he has great recovery speed and uses his length to throw a blanket over the catch point. He has rare NFL traits and talent, so a boost in urgency could take him from a good starter to a Pro Bowl-caliber player.
Strengths
- Elite blend of traits, speed and versatility.
- Has the skill set to match up with top tight ends.
- Underestimating his range in space comes at a price.
- Wingspan and ball skills like a five-star wide receiver.
- Able to land punishing blows on catch targets.
- Leaping and length help smother catch tries.
- Has the speed to wipe out angles on wide runs.
- Racked up solo tackles in all three seasons.
Weaknesses
- Drifts through games without urgency at times.
- Inconsistent downhill trigger in run support.
- Block take-on and pursuit angles need improvement.
- Gives too much ground to blockers instead of bypassing.
- Hip tightness limits transition quickness in space.
- Average instincts and route anticipation.
Round 3, Pick #98: Darien Porter, CB, Iowa St
NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
Sixth-year senior with elite traits and special teams talent but only one year of starting experience at cornerback. Porter’s rep total is heavy on zone coverages but he has the athleticism, burst and speed to handle more man coverage. He has excellent zone awareness with the twitch and ball skills to expand his sphere of influence. He uses his length to shade downfield throws but needs to get stronger to improve his press, his contest and his tackling in run support. More schooling is needed as a pattern-matcher but his athletic profile and instant impact on special teams should create more confidence in projecting Porter’s continued ascension as a CB2/CB3.
Strengths
- Elite combination of size, length and speed.
- Possesses arm length that offensive tackles would covet.
- Smooth athlete with easy change of direction and acceleration.
- Long speed with well-timed transitions to phase deep routes.
- Mature field awareness and zone discipline despite a lack of experience.
- Possesses the burst and ball skills to crank up ball production.
- Standout talent at gunner with four career blocked punts.
Weaknesses
- Made first start at cornerback in his sixth season in 2024.
- Limited man-cover reps on tape to evaluate.
- Takes time gathering and adjusting to more complex routes.
- Below-average play strength to discard run blocks.
- Quite a bit to clean up with tackling and contain in run support.
- Inconsistent coming to balance as a tackler as a punt gunner.
