Mississippi State football’s Martin Emerson might be one of the more overlooked players in the 2022 NFL Draft, but throughout the draft process he has claimed to be unconcerned about where he lands because he feels he can make an immediate impact.

He’ll have a chance to do so with the Cleveland Browns, who selected Emerson with the 68th overall pick.

Here’s what Browns fans can expect from their newest addition.

The positives

The nation’s top football conference avoided Emerson throughout his career with the Bulldogs. He was targeted 49 times in 12 games last season — 29th fewest among FBS corners with at least 350 coverage snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Considering the skills fellow MSU corner Emmanuel Forbes owns, teams avoiding Emerson spoke volumes.

At 6-foot-2, Emerson is among the bigger corners in a loaded class. He has shown an elite ability to match up with outside receivers while also possessing range to cover smaller guys inside.

The concerns

In the SEC, 29 corners played at least 521 snaps last season, per PFF. Emerson’s 28 receptions allowed were 12th-fewest among those players.

Yet he allowed the seventh-most yards after catch with 175.

Emerson can be beaten off the line by receivers with quicker feet. He’s often left tugging to catch up, and when he’s not called for a penalty it means the receiver is likely making a catch and leaving Emerson behind. Being as tall as he is makes it difficult for him to have immediate quickness off the line.

Final thoughts

The SEC has a strong class of corners represented in this year’s NFL Draft. Emerson, though a solid corner, struggled to generate the national attention of many of his conference counterparts.

His lone interception at MSU came three seasons ago, and while the lack of targets plays a role in that, the lack of explosive plays dims the national spotlight.

However, Emerson has potential to be among the quieter steals in the draft. His positives outweigh his concerns, and Emerson proved so against some of the nation’s top receivers.

“The SEC — the world knows it’s the best conference in America,” Emerson said at MSU’s Pro Day in March. “I feel like it helped me a lot.”

Emerson is the seventh defensive back taken from Mississippi State since 2012. Chief among those is Philadelphia's Darius Slay, who Emerson says gave him advice prior to the draft process.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Cleveland Browns pick Mississippi State's Martin Emerson in NFL Draft