Looking Into The Three Mississippi State Players Invited to 2022 NFL Scouting Combine

When the full list of invites was released for the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, there were three former Mississippi State football players who saw their name called.

An appearance at the combine presents a big opportunity for Bulldogs cornerback Martin Emerson Jr., offensive lineman Charles Cross and wide receiver Makai Polk to continue increasing their draft stock ahead of April. And it's especially important considering Mississippi State had zero players between the Reese's Senior Bowl and the Shrine Bowl this year.

Here's a quick into each one of the Mississippi State prospects headed to the combine and where they currently sit in the projections:

CB Martin Emerson Jr.

Mississippi State was touted as quietly having one of the best secondaries in the nation ahead of the 2021 season, and Emerson was deemed an important piece of that. He finished out the year with 49 total tackles (31 solo) with three passes defended after a standout 2020 season in which he registered 72 total tackles (44 solo). Emerson, though he did only have one interception over three seasons, gave some of the best receivers in the nation trouble as he tallied 152 tackles, six for loss and one forced fumble over the same time period. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is largely projected to be taken in the second or third round of the draft and the Detroit Lions are one landing spot that has been pinned to him this offseason.

According to Pro Football Focus, Emerson's coverage grade (89.6) ranks second among SEC corners since 2020.

OL Charles Cross

The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder will surely be off the board in the first round, recently projected by Seth Galina of PFF to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2022, landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"Cross might not be the best overall player in the draft — he’s close — but, in my opinion, he is the best tackle, which is where the Jaguars should focus their attention. Cross exploded onto the scene with a tremendous 2021 campaign that saw his PFF grade rise from 64.4 in 2020 to 86.7. He is as technical and refined as any player in the draft," Galina wrote.

WR Makai Polk

Mike Leach and Co. originally tried to land Polk at Washington State, but he went to Cal instead. That obviously wasn't the end of the story, though, as Polk eventually made his way down to Starkville because he wanted to catch more passes. And he did just that, finishing the season as the SEC's leading receiver with 98 receptions, which was also good for second-most in the nation.

Leach has called the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder "the ultimate success story" of the transfer portal.

"The ultimate success story of the portal is Makai Polk who is the leading receiver in the SEC and then the ultimate non-success story is the 3,000 or so that sought greener pastures last year that didn’t find a new pasture," Leach said.

In addition to those 98 receptions in 2021, Polk also recorded 989 receiving yards with nine touchdowns. He crossed the century mark four times in 2021 with his best game of the year in terms of yardage coming against Memphis in the third week of the season when he reeled in 11 receptions for 136 yards with one touchdown.

Polk was one of the Bulldogs' most consistent players last season, commended for his ability to run cool as opposed to hot and play the next play by outside receivers coach (now listed as passing game coordinator and receivers coach) Steve Spurrier Jr. If selected, Polk will be the first Mississippi State wideout to be drafted since Eric Moulds in 1996.