Staying the Course, Emanuel Wilson Looks to Make Impact in Seahawks’ Retooled Backfield
RENTON, Wash. - For NFL hopefuls playing college ball below the Division I ranks, the pathway to the league features no shortage of obstacles, with the most obvious issue revolving around receiving enough exposure to jump onto the radar for scouts.
In the case of Seattle Seahawks running back Emanuel Wilson, who joined the team as a free agent in March, the Roanoke, Virginia native spent time with not one, but two Division II programs at the college level, originally signing with Johnson C. Smith University before transferring to Fort Valley State in 2020. Neither institution would be mistaken as an NFL developmental mecca, though Fort Valley has had 14 players suit up for games in the league, including a former first round pick in cornerback Tyrone Poole, making it a challenge to get noticed away from the spotlight on Division I teams.
But throughout his college journey, Wilson’s coaches at both Johnson C. Smith and Fort Valley State regularly preached their belief that he had the skills to earn a shot in the NFL if he took advantage of his opportunity. By his senior season in 2022, scouts started to descend on Fort Valley to get a closer look at the battering 220-pound back, and what once looked like a pipe dream suddenly became a real possibility.
“Once I transferred, [Johnson C. Smith] coach Marquise Flowers, he always told me that I had the talent to go to the next level,” Wilson said. “And when he got the head coaching job, he wanted me to come back, but I stayed at Fort Valley. And Coach [Shawn] Gibbs, he always told me, ‘don't let somebody make you, you make your own self.’ So once the scouts started coming to the practice, I knew I had a chance.”
For Wilson, the message from Flowers, Gibbs, and the rest of the coaches who served as his support staff was simple: Just stay the course. And he did just that, breaking out with north of 1,200 rushing yards, 6.8 yards per carry, and 15 rushing touchdowns in his final collegiate season, he received a rare invite for a Division II player to the now-defunct NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, providing an opportunity to further sell himself to NFL teams and showcase his talent against top competition.
Sticking to the advice of the coaches who had helped put the dream within reach, Wilson enjoyed a stellar week in Pasadena facing off against big-time talent from Division I schools, standing out as one of the biggest winners in the all-star showcase. While he didn’t hear his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft and only lasted a few days with the Broncos after signing with them, he landed his big break when the Packers came calling, offering him a contract and a chance to compete for a roster spot in training camp.
Staying the course once again, Wilson impressed throughout his first training camp and preseason, rushing for 223 yards, 5.9 yards per carry, and scoring two touchdowns in exhibition games. Earning a spot on the 53-man roster, he made his NFL regular season debut for Green Bay in Week 2, rushing three times for five yards. An injury limited him to seven games, but he ran effectively with limited opportunities, rushing for 85 yards on 14 carries.
Over the past two years, injuries to other backs on the roster created expanded opportunities for Wilson, and he took advantage with productive numbers as a reserve behind star Josh Jacobs. In 2024, he rushed for 502 yards and scored four touchdowns, helping the Packers return to the postseason. He made his first two career starts last season, including eclipsing 100 yards for the first time in a game in a win over the Vikings, wrapping up the year with 496 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Despite proving himself as a viable NFL runner, the Packers opted against placing a right of first refusal tender on him as a restricted free agent, allowing him to hit the open market. Needing reinforcements with Ken Walker III heading to Kansas City and Zach Charbonnet recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the playoffs, the Seahawks swooped in and signed him to a one-year contract worth up to $2.1 million, adding him to a rebuilt stable that now features first round pick Jadarian Price and returning third-year runner George Holani.
In the midst of his first training camp with his new team, Wilson has seen plenty of parallels between Seattle’s offense under new coordinator Brian Fleury and the one he previously played in for Matt LaFleur in Green Bay, particularly in the run game where wide zone remains the staple go-to concept. But he acknowledged there has been an adjustment period with Fleury incorporating more routes for running backs into the playbook, part of a significant shift towards utilizing the position more frequently in the passing game.
“Running game is kind of similar, just like the passing game. Running backs running actual routes now, so just adjusting it to that portion of the offense and just keep it going,” Wilson said.
As things stand right now, Wilson has been receiving significant action with the first and second-team offenses in camp as a part of a three-way competition for snaps against Price and Holani. Known for his physical, bruising running, at minimum, his style should suit well as a change-of-pace option to the other two backs, helping fill the void for Charbonnet in short yardage and goal line situations until the veteran returns from injury later in the season.
But as he has proven throughout his football career by successfully making the jump from Division II to the NFL and earning a key reserve role with the Packers, it would be unwise to count out Wilson for emerging as more than just a situational back. Working to his advantage, he has far more experience toting the rock against NFL defenses than Price or Holani, producing more than 1,000 rushing yards in his first three seasons while Price has yet to play in a game and Holani has just 23 carries to his name in two seasons.
While not known for his receiving chops and not offering the positional flexibility to run routes out of the slot or present much of a threat on deep routes out of the backfield, Wilson has been a reliable enough receiver when called upon in the passing game. Over his three NFL seasons, he has posted an 86% catch rate, snagging 32 receptions for 204 yards and a touchdown with just two drops.
To earn more snaps out of the gate, Wilson will have to continue proving himself as a pass catcher with a more diverse route tree in Fleury’s offense while also demonstrating proficiency in pass protection, an aspect of his game that remains untested to this point. On 67 pass blocking reps in his career, he has allowed nine pressures with a 93.3 Pass Block Efficiency rating, far from the ideal number and illustrating that he has much room to improve.
If he can check off those two boxes in coming weeks and keeps staying the course, Wilson has enough tools beyond simply being a physical, big-bodied back to make things interesting in Seattle’s competitive backfield battle. Given all that he has overcome to reach this point, nobody should be surprised if he pushes for more snaps than anticipated for a team that will continue to prioritizing the ground game and setting the tone with toughness.
