Martin "MJ" Emerson Jr. (born September 27, 2000) is an American professional football cornerback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State.

Early life

Emerson grew up in Pensacola, Florida and attended Pine Forest High School.[1] As a senior, he had 91 tackles and two tackles for loss with four passes broken up, one interception, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.[2] Emerson was rated a three-star recruit and committed to play college football at Mississippi State over offers from Miami, Oregon and Ole Miss.[3]

College career

Emerson played in all 13 of Mississippi State's games with five starts in his freshman season.[4] As a sophomore, he had 72 total tackles and Southeastern Conference-high 11 pass breakups.[5][6] Pro Football Focus rated Emerson the seventh-best cornerback in coverage in the nation and named him an honorable mention All-American.[7]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+5⁄8 in
(1.87 m) 		201 lb
(91 kg) 		33+1⁄2 in
(0.85 m) 		10+1⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		 4.52 s 1.59 s 2.56 s 4.14 s 6.90 s 32.0 in
(0.81 m)		 10 ft 4 in
(3.15 m)		 17 reps
Sources:[8][9]

The Cleveland Browns selected Emerson in the third round (68th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.[10] The Browns acquired the 68th overall pick in a trade with the Houston Texans, receiving the 2022 third- (68th overall) and two fourth-round selections (108th and 124th overall) in exchange for a third round pick (44th overall) from the Houston Texans. He was the tenth cornerback drafted. The following day, the Browns traded cornerback Troy Hill to the Los Angeles Rams.

"We do not strictly look at how many interceptions he had or how many pass breakups he had only, but you look at the full body of work, how he goes about covering, utilizing his instincts and all of the different components to being a DB."

On May 12, 2022, the Cleveland Browns signed Emerson to a four–year, $5.41 million rookie contract that includes an initial signing bonus of $1.15 million.[11]

Throughout training camp, he competed to be the primary nickelback against A. J. Green and Greedy Williams. Following the departure of Troy Hill, defensive coordinator Joe Woods was tasked with replacing Hill at slot cornerback. In nickel packages, requiring five defensive backs, Woods elected to transition No. 2 starting cornerback Greg Newsome II to slot cornerback with Emerson covering as an outside cornerback.[12] Head coach Kevin Stefanski named Emerson the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind starting cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II.[13]

On September 11, 2022, Emerson made his professional regular season debut during the Cleveland Browns' season–opener at the Carolina Panthers and recorded five combined tackles (four solo) as the Browns won 26–24. He was named a starting cornerback heading into Week 6 after Denzel Ward sustained a concussion against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5. On October 16, 2022, Emerson earned his first career start and recorded six solo tackles and a season–high two pass deflections during a 15–38 loss to the New England Patriots. The following week, he recorded four solo tackles and made his first career sack on quarterback Lamar Jackson for a seven-yard loss during a 20-23 loss at the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7.[14]

NFL career statistics

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
G GS Comb Total Ast Sack PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2022 CLE 17 6 63 51 12 1.0 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023 CLE 16 12 59 45 14 0.0 14 4 24 6.0 13 0 0 0 0 0
Total 33 18 122 96 26 1.0 29 4 24 6.0 13 0 0 0 0 0

References

  1. ^ Vilona, Bill (August 7, 2018). "In one move, Pine Forest's Martin Emerson propelled career into next level". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Wilson, David (January 25, 2019). "The Canes are making an attempt to add a striker to recruiting class with official visit". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  3. ^ Achatz, Brian (July 7, 2018). "Pine Forest's Emerson commits to Mississippi State". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  4. ^ Achatz, Brian (August 27, 2020). "Martin Emerson primed to lead Mississippi State corners after All-America freshman season". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  5. ^ Froyd, Crissy (July 16, 2021). "Mississippi State CB pinned as first-round pick in 2022 NFL Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  6. ^ "Mississippi State secondary could thrive behind talented CB duo of Martin Emerson, Emmanuel Forbes". The Clarion-Ledger. August 18, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  7. ^ "Mississippi State Football's Emerson, Wally Earn National postseason accolades". Picayune Item. December 24, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  8. ^ "Martin Emerson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  9. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Martin Emerson, Mississippi State NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  10. ^ Poisal, Anthony (April 29, 2022). "Browns select CB Martin Emerson with No. 68 pick in 2022 NFL Draft". ClevelandBrowns.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  11. ^ "Spotrac.com: Martin Emerson contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  12. ^ Anthony Poisal (May 18, 2022). "Why the Browns value Martin Emerson Jr.'s length at cornerback". clevelandbrowns.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  13. ^ "Browns initial 53-man roster 2022: Position-by-position analysis". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 30, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  14. ^ "Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens - October 23rd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Emerson
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