There was some surprise when the Cleveland Browns used their first pick in last year’s draft on another cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. The move turned out to be a wise one as Emerson impressed during his rookie season with his strength and physicality in man coverage.
PFF released their breakout candidates for the AFC and Martin Emerson earned the nod for Cleveland.
“Another rookie cornerback, Emerson played a significant role for the Browns all season, as he finished the year with the seventh-most snaps among first-year cornerbacks. And he also quietly put together an impressive season. He earned a 72.5 PFF grade, which ranked 23rd among cornerbacks, and he forced an incompletion on 20% of the passes into his coverage, the ninth-best rate at the position.”
The AFC is loaded with great quarterbacks and passing attacks and the Browns will need Emerson and the rest of the defensive backs to be up to the challenge in 2023. The team has shown us with their moves that they believe they are Super Bowl contenders this year and Emerson will need to play great to help make that happen.
