The Pittsburgh Steelers hired defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander to replace Grady Brown earlier this offseason, and Alexander is already on the Pro Day circuit. He’s at South Carolina’s Pro Day today, and there he was talking to Nick Emmanwori, who could be the first safety off the board in the NFL Draft. Jack Veltri of Gamecock Central posted a video of the two chatting.
Emmanwori is the top prospect coming out of South Carolina, and the team also has CB O’Donnell Fortune in the secondary. Fortune won Shrine Bowl Defensive MVP honors with a 65-yard pick-six in the game, and he could be a potential Day 3 target for the Steelers. Outside of the secondary, the Gamecocks also feature DT T.J. Sanders, EDGE Kyle Kennard, LB Demetrius Knight and RB Rocket Sanders as draftable players.
Gerald Alexander’s presence there is noteworthy, and he also put Emmanwori through drills, per Lou Bezjak of The State Newspaper.
Emmanwori was one of the standouts of the NFL Combine, as he tested through the roof. He had a perfect 10.0 Relative Athletic Score score (although he didn’t have any agility testing information), with an 11″06′ broad jump, 43″ vertical, and 4.38 40-yard dash. His grade was the highest of any safety dating back to 1987.
Right now, it’s between Emmanwori and Georgia’s Malaki Starks to be the first safety off the board. Emmanwori’s Combine performance may have solidified him ahead of Starks, who has seen his stock fall over the past few months.
While safety isn’t an immediate need for the Steelers and taking Emmanwori in the first-round would be a surprise, DeShon Elliott does only have one year left on his contract and while unlikely, Minkah Fitzpatrick could be a cut candidate if he doesn’t have a good 2025 season. The Steelers did just reportedly sign S Juan Thornhill as their third safety, and addressing the position in the first round definitely would be a shock.
Gerald Alexander was the defensive backs coach at Cal before entering the NFL ranks, so it’s not a surprise to see him involved at a pro day. It’ll be interesting to see if he winds up at any other pro days remaining on the cycle. Before his stint at Cal, he also coached at Arkansas State, Washington, Indiana State and Montana State.
