CHARLOTTE — As Nick Emmanwori went through a slate of formal meetings at the outset of the NFL draft process, the South Carolina safety heard some version of the same speech over and over.

"Had 18 formal meetings and every one was kind of like, they were happy with my tape, happy with my size. They were questioning my speed," Emmanwori shared following his pro day in Columbia in March. "And I just had to tell them, wait till the combine and I had to show them."

And he did.

The 6-3 220-pound safety ran a blazing 4.38 in the 40-yard dash.

"Going into it, I knew it was gonna happen," said Emmanwori, not bragging, just completely self-assured in his ability. "We had a little pre-combine here and it was great. So everybody in this building, we knew everybody knew what was gonna go down, so the rest of the world just found out."

After the rest of the world "found out," Emmanwori got a lot more notice, the by-product of becoming a combine darling. But while those measurables forced teams to pay attention, it was his tape that made them stay. The South Carolina defensive back earned first team All-American honors his senior season in Columbia, after leading them team with 88 tackles, with three for loss. He also had two pass break-ups and four interceptions with two returned for touchdowns.

Pro day was a chance to build on that tape, letting scouts see up close the versatility that popped on tape.

"That was my main focus to come out here and show the scouts I can move," he said. "I can move like a cornerback. I can move like a nickel at my size, so. But just happy with my versatility, see what type of player I am, a special type of player."

The product was the result of years of hard work, messing up and coming back to try again, a mentality he displayed at his pro day as well, often asking to repeat drills he felt weren't up to his standards.

"That's just a dawg mentality. That's just what's in me. Like, messed up, come back, do it again, make it right," Emmanwori preached. "That's just the type of guy I am, come back, get to work."

The attitude is something Emmanwori had to adopt coming out of high school. The Irmo, S.C. product was a three-star with one Power Five offer, from the Gamecocks. It was a foot in the door, and he took it, kicking the door down in the process.

"Oh man, that's been my whole story of my life, man," he said. "South Carolina is my only Power Five offer coming up, so I mean what a better story how it played out. So just super blessed. I just needed a platform to make my name known, and I think I did that."

Now that his name is known, the projected first-rounder is hoping to hear it called Thursday night. And if it's called in conjunction with the Panthers, well for the Carolina boy, that would be even sweeter.

"The Panthers, man, they got a huge impact on us down here," admitted Emmanwori. "Just got Rico (Dowdle), so they're building a Gamecock squad up there, so hopefully they come pick me up too."