Nick Emmanwori is just getting started.
The Seattle Seahawks defender is coming off a standout rookie season, where he starred all over the field for Mike Macdonald's team. Aside from personal triumph, his team was also victorious in Super Bowl 60 after defeating the New England Patriots on the back of an elite defense.
Emmanwori isn't ready satisfied though, saying during a Feb. 12 appearance on "The Richard Sherman Podcast" that he is just scratching the surface.
"It's exciting for me because I can't wait to go to the offseason and put the work in," Emmanwori said. "I know I'm just scratching the surface. I'm thinking of my prime, like how can I get to my prime? In my mind, this is just stuff that I'm putting together, but when I put everything together as far as the coverage and the pass rush and the playbook and just seeing the game, that's what I'm looking forward to."
The rookie detailed his play in the playoffs, which was highlighted by a dominant performance against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game. Emmanwori totaled five tackles and three passes defended in the contest, where he says he was in the zone.
"That was definitely a cool moment. I just remember being in my zone that game. I was in the zone. … It was just natural," Emmanwori said, adding that it felt similar to his play against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 14. "Whatever's in the scheme, whatever's in the playbook, I would flawlessly kind of just adjust to it and I can just make those plays. So it was like, I'm guarding the running back, making the play, guarding Puka [Nacua] in the slot, like guarding Davante Adams. ... Setting the edge, getting off blocks.
"I was just really in the zone that game and we were just focused. It was just a different feeling."
Nick Emmanwori means 'no disrespect' to Patriots
Plenty considered the NFC championship game to be the de fact Super Bowl this season, since the NFC finalists were much stronger than their AFC counterparts.
"No disrespect to the Patriots or nothing like that. I don't want to take nothing away from them, but that game, it felt like that game was legit," Emmanwori said. "You know how it is with the rivalries. The Rams, they come in, [Matthew] Stafford, he's a hell of a quarterback. [Sean] McVay always got a hell of a plan.
"That game was definitely different. It was a different type of game. It was live. I was in my zone."
Drafted with the No. 35 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Emmanwori was a finalist for defensive rookie of the year, becoming the next emerging star in what has been a theme for the Seahawks.
From the "Legion of Boom" to the "Dark Side," Emmanwori hopes to be a foundational piece, like Sherman was, for many years to come.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nick Emmanwori looking forward to the future after Seahawks Super Bowl