STARKVILLE — Mississippi State players typically get excited when they spot representatives from NFL teams watching practice at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex.
But maybe, cornerbacks coach Darcel McBath joked, that optimism is misplaced.
“They just don’t know the scouts are asking me, ‘Do I have any interest in playing anymore?’” McBath — who played in the NFL from 2009-2013 — jested after Sunday’s practice.
No, the scouts are there to see the Bulldogs’ corners — among other players — and for good reason. Reps from the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings were on hand Sunday evening to talk to McBath and other coaches about their position groups.
“Coming out of spring, I was really excited by what they’ve shown,” McBath said of his corners. “Now fall camp, midway through, I’m really happy with their progress.”
The Bulldogs seem well positioned at cornerback even without Martin Emerson, a third-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in April’s NFL draft.
Emerson is off to a good start in the pros — he ripped away the football from a Jacksonville Jaguars receiver for a pick-six in a recent preseason game — but he’s no longer locking down one side of the field in Starkville.
That means next man up for Mississippi State, and just like it was after Emerson was ejected for targeting against Kentucky, Decamerion Richardson is the leading candidate to fill Emerson’s slot.
His audition went well against the Wildcats in a 31-17 upset win for the Bulldogs, a good sign to McBath regarding the young corner.
“You don’t know until you’re in there with 60,000 people and on primetime TV how you’re going to react to it,” McBath said. “You could do everything right in practice and then get in a game and just blank out. He got in there and did exactly what he does every day in practice.
“It was exciting to see, and I think it was good for him because it happened so suddenly. He didn’t have to think about it. He just went in and naturally played.”
Richardson and returning junior Emmanuel Forbes may be slated to start, but they’ll have plenty of guys competing to overtake them in a testament to the depth the Bulldogs have built at the position.
Alabama transfer Marcus Banks — whom defensive coordinator Zach Arnett called “Speedy Banks” on Sunday — is healthy after dealing with minor injuries during spring practice, and Banks is poised to make an impact in MSU’s secondary.
“The thing I love about him most is his demeanor, the way he goes about his work,” McBath said. “Football-wise, he’s sharp. He picks up on things really quickly. You’ve only got to tell him once. Really good ball skills. Tough tackler. Just really good football instincts for that position, so I’m excited about it.”
Graduate student Esaias Furdge is also near the top of the depth chart, part of a four-man roster jam with Forbes, Banks and Richardson with often little separation.
McBath says he names a “corner of the day” after each practice, but it’s rarely easy to tell who’s deserving of the honor.
“It’s hard for me to pick because all of them do something really good at some point throughout the day, and they’re really consistent,” he said. “It’s really heightened their focus, but also they’re pushing each other to be better every day, so that’s really good.”
Behind the top four, some of the Bulldogs’ younger cornerbacks are making a name for themselves.
Redshirt freshman William Hardrick and true freshman Audavion Collins both intercepted passes in Saturday’s scrimmage at Davis Wade Stadium, as did senior Jackson State transfer Alexander Shaw.
“That’s exciting that the things that are coming from practice are going to a scrimmage, and then the next phase is obviously a game, but they have the confidence that they can do it,” McBath said.
The development of Mississippi State’s youngest corners is what McBath was hoping for out of his group. His older players, meanwhile, require little coaching.
“Most of the time, I don’t have to coach much because they’re correcting each other,” McBath said.
If things continue that way, it might be easy to see why NFL scouts are taking notice.
If they’re not there for McBath, that is.
“I think for (my players) it’s good to see because hard work pays off,” McBath said. “What we’re doing and how we do it translates for them to that next level, because I think for most of them it’s their ultimate goal.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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