Mississippi State Athletics
Alabama Game Week Scouting Report: Mississippi State Cornerback Martin Emerson
To give an idea of the kind of changes Mississippi State has undergone since Mike Leach took over as head coach prior to last season, the defense has just two players in the starting lineup who were around for Joe Moorhead (now the offensive coordinator at Oregon).
The first is defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy, who blocked the potential game-winning field-goal attempt on the final snap against Louisiana Tech in the season opener.
The other is cornerback Martin Emerson, who has been on the losing side of two blowouts to Alabama and made 21 career starts.
There are three seniors who transferred in, two from junior colleges and one from Texas, but that alone gives an idea of Emerson's importance to the Bulldogs.
Last season he topped the SEC with 11 pass breakups, which was also tied for fourth in the FBS.
Consequently, opponents have started to avoid him. He's only been targeted on 25 of 178 snaps in coverage (14.0 percent) this year, after just 59 of his 388 snaps in coverage (15.2 percent) in 2020.
He gave up just one touchdown in coverage in 2020.
So far this season, he's tied for third in team tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, and has broken up two passes.
Martin Emerson
Jersey: No. 1
Position: Cornerback
Height: 6-2
Weight: 195
DOB: 9/27/00
Draft eligible: 2022
Hometown: Pensacola, Florida
High School: Pine Forest
Pros
Long-limbed cornerback with high cut waist and slender build. Excellent feel in zone coverage, naturally sinks with depth on routes without being out leveraged. Excels at playing off the quarterback indicator while playing with tempo to match routes in zone. Shows solid hip fluidity when he is flipping his hips to redirect downhill, making him competitive on routes working back to the quarterback when playing off. Length to compete at the catch point against bigger receivers. Physical player who is good in the run game, fights to shed blocks and is efficient when tackling ball carriers to limit extra yards.
Cons
Lacks an athletic trait that he can hang his hat on. Poor movement skills for a player who predominantly plays away from the line of scrimmage. Generates little to no burst out of his hips when he needs to turn and run on vertical routes. Agility is concerning when watching him struggle with short-area quickness to drive downhill from a pedal. Struggles to stay attached at the top of routes, is not able to sit his hips down once receivers sell him deep. Pad level is concerning for a player who already lacks twitch, needs to focus on playing lower consistently to give himself a chance in coverage. Poor foot speed to stick with receivers vertically consistently in man coverage.
Summary
Long-limbed cornerback who will be scheme specific to cover-3 teams. Cerebral in zone coverage where he excels at deciphering and leveraging route concepts. Extremely limited athlete who lacks twitch and long speed will limit how often he can hold up in man coverage. There will be a fit for him on cover-3 teams where he can tap into his route recognition abilities and outplay his athletic limitations.
Grades
6.4 (current value)/ 8.0 (potential value)
BamaCentral Analysis
There's some hype in Starkville about Emerson and whether he might be a first-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. If so, he would likely join offensive tackle Charles Cross, who is now looking like a potential top-10 selection. The short answer is probably not. He has the length teams are looking for, but will probably be rated around the fifth- or sixth-best prospect at the position, ironically along with Alabama's Josh Jobe. Probably three will go first round, although it's always a need position so one never knows. During last year's 41-0 blowout Emerson was credited with five tackles, including two solo, while DeVonta Smith had a monster day with 11 catches for 203 yards and four touchdowns. His best game, though, was probably against Georgia when he broke up a career-high four passes and the Bulldogs managed just 8 yards rushing. Something else to watch out for is coaches will occasionally send him on a blitz.
All this week, BamaCentral will profile numerous Mississippi State players as the Crimson Tide prepares to visit Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field on Saturday. Also check out NFL Draft Bible for more evaluations.
