Big Board ranking: #49
Positional ranking: #9
Overview
Position: CB
College: Mississippi State
Class: Junior
Age: 21
Measurables
Height: 6’1 5/8”
Weight: 201 lbs.
Arm length: 33 1/2″
Hand size: 10 1/8″
Athletic testing
40-yard dash: 4.53 sec.
Vertical jump: N/A
Broad jump: N/A
Bench press: N/A
3-cone drill: N/A
Short shuttle: N/A
Strengths
Tremendous size and length. Excellent twitch/burst for a bigger cornerback. Above-average speed. Light feet at his size. Very quick reaction time. Extremely quick to play underneath routes in man coverage. Can be all over wideouts when asked to press. Great ability to run with drag routes and is quick to recover. Versatility to play various coverages with most experience in cushion. Ideal discipline in zone coverage. Stays athletic and ready to act while sitting in zone coverage. Very good route recognition and feel for spacing. Easily stuck with Alabama wide receiver John Metchie on an out-and-up move (2021). Length can be disruptive at the catch point. Only one career interception but showed quality ball skills. Hustles to pursue the ball away from the action. Flies up to make tackles in the flat. Effective getting outside contain on perimeter runs. Good using length to take on blocks. Able to quickly get around a blocker. Has shown physicality as a tackler. Mostly lined up at left cornerback but saw time on both sides. Plays with great intensity. Eventually beaten deep for a long touchdown but shadowed Seth Williams and allowed nothing for most of the game (Auburn 2020).
Weaknesses
Can be slow opening vertically out of the press. Has some stiffness flipping hips back and forth quickly. Allows some space on deeper curls and comebacks. Could struggle with shiftier opponents. Low tackles will lead to misses. Didn’t seem too eager to tackle Brian Robinson Jr. head on versus Alabama (2021).
NFL comparison
Charvarius Ward
Conclusion
Overall, Emerson Jr. is a long, perimeter cornerback with impressive speed and burst for his size. He mostly played off coverage at Mississippi State, but Emerson Jr. can be a great press corner at the next level.
STRONG