From sacking quarterbacks to hitting them to force interceptions to making tackles in the run game to covering speedy receivers downfield, Nick Emmanwori's versatility has been on full display this season.

A safety on the roster but more of a positionless chess piece in reality, Emmanwori has made plays at all three levels while being a key part of the league's best defense.

"I think I've grown the most in my versatility," Emmanwori said of his second season so far. "I'm versatile, but you can grow in learning and mastering all the positions and all the different stuff. Especially with my D-line stuff, I've been getting a little more production down there and making an impact, but I think I can make more of an impact. It's just learning the different ins and outs of each position. Dudes strictly play corner or safety, and they have things they know and they see, but when you play so many different positions, you have to learn the ins and outs, you have to learn the details of each position. I think I took a step in that direction, but I can still clean it up."

Among the many things Emmanwori can do for the Seahawks, the one that might be most important when the Seahawks face the Raiders is his ability to cover elite tight ends. The best tight ends are weapons in part because they have a combination of size and speed that makes them a matchup nightmare for most players on an opposing defense -- they're too fast for bigger linebackers to keep up with, or they're too big and physical for smaller defensive cornerbacks to handle on contested balls. Emmanwori, however, is as big as, and faster than, just about any tight end. That will be an important factor this weekend with the Raiders passing game relying heavily on Brock Bowers, a two-time Pro Bowler in as many seasons in the league and a first-team All-Pro as a rookie. Bowers had 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, 680 yards and seven scores in 12 games last year, and has 658 yards and six scores this year despite missing two games to injury, including three 100-yard games.

Emmanwori won't be the only player tasked with stopping Bowers, but he'll certainly be a part of that plan, and the Seahawks have confidence any time he's matched up with a top tight end.

"It does a lot when Nick's out there balling, and he's doing his job, and he's covering," linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. "I mean, it eliminates a guy in a sense. It puts us at an advantage, so we're going to go out there and play good defense. He's not going to be responsible for that matchup in totality. That's a good tight end, so we can't put all that on him, so we'll all have our hand in making sure we can do our best with him."

Last week, the Seahawks faced All-Pro tight end Trey McBride, and Emmanwori was on him for eight coverage snaps, according to Next Gen Stats. McBride was targeted only once on those eight plays, the fourth-down pass Emmanwori broke up in the end zone late in the game, an indication of just how well Emmanwori was blanketing McBride. Earlier this season against the 49ers, Emmanwori also was in coverage on eight snaps against another of the league's top tight ends, George Kittle, and on those plays, Brock Purdy was 1 for 1 for minus 1 yard.

In coverage this season, Emmanwori has allowed 19 receptions for 121 yards on 27 targets, per Next Gen Stats, and his 4.5 yards per target allowed is the lowest among Seahawks defensive backs this season (minimum 10 targets).

Emmanwori's versatility means he'll be doing a lot more than just covering Bowers on Sunday -- he does lead all NFL defensive backs with 17 pressures when he rushes the passer -- but when he does cover one of the league's top tight ends, the Seahawks will feel good about that matchup.

"He's special, man," safety Julian Love said after last weekend's win. "You can't pigeonhole him into anything. Whether he's hitting the quarterback, whether he's in coverage, he's just such a problem. It's a mixture of God-gifted, just being so tall, long arms, so fast and strong, but also his mental. It's not easy. It gets really overlooked how smart of a player he is because he's doing so much. Not everyone on our team can be doing that. I can't speak highly enough; he should be talked about in a special sort of way."

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald explained what makes Emmanwori uniquely qualified to cover tight ends, saying, "Not all tight ends run the routes equally. They run different route trees in terms of timing of plays and how they get open. Nick can run with anybody as we know, but the ability to stay connected at the top of routes. The best tight ends are able to use physicality to create separation and Nick's able to fight fire with fire on that front or absorb, we won't call them push offs but I have my own opinion about it, some of those tricks of the trade and still stay connected."

Added outside linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence: "It's special man, and Nick is one of our best players, so for him to have that responsibility to take it on week after week; it's much respect."

Emmanwori knows it will require a team effort to slow down Bowers and the Raiders' offense, but when he is tasked with covering one of the league's top pass catchers, it's a challenge he'll embrace.

"It's a fun challenge," Emmanwori said. "From going on the line of scrimmage and getting a sack, to hopping off the line of scrimmage and covering their go to guy and making plays, it's a fun job description that a lot of people don't get to experience, so I take pride in that. I like the matchups, I like getting the targets. At the end of the day, I'm a defender, but I'm a defensive back, so it doesn't bother me taking those one-on-one matchups… I don't shy away from any competition or any battles. I want to step into stuff like that and put it on the line."

One thing that shouldn't be lost in the discussions of Emmanwori's versatility is the smarts and hard work it takes to play so many different roles in Seattle's defense. Yes, being 6-foot-3, 220 pounds while having the athleticism to post a 4.38 40-yard dash, a 43-inch vertical and an 11-foot, 6-inch broad jump is a big part of it, but so too is the prep work that goes into getting ready each week to play multiple positions, spending time throughout the week with different position groups and coaches.

"It's a beast," Love said of the mental side of the game Emmanwori is taking on. "Me for example, I might be working with some linebacker stuff and some safety stuff. For him, every level of our defense, every coach, has something for him. He might be getting six voices talking to him, and he's taking it all in stride. He's done a really good job of just being patient with himself, applying his learning to the field each day. And that goes way unspoked about how tough it is to like up at six different spots, and be effective at those spots -- not just line up, but also produce. The mental can't be spoken about enough for him."