Plenty of Mississippi State football players are represented in the NFL, including Dak Prescott, Chris Jones, Jeffery Simmons and more.
Beginning Thursday, three more Bulldogs are projected to join the ranks.
The 2022 NFL draft begins Thursday night in Las Vegas with Round 1; Rounds 2 and 3 are Friday and Rounds 4-7 will take place Saturday.
Mississippi State has three likely selections: offensive tackle Charles Cross (a projected top-15 pick); cornerback Martin Emerson; and wide receiver Makai Polk.
The Dispatch examined five full seven-round mock drafts and a pair of draft boards to see where the three Bulldogs prospects are expected to land.
Offensive tackle Charles Cross
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 310 pounds
Big boards: Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN: No. 12; ProFootballFocus: No. 3
The Sporting News mock draft: Round 1, Pick 6, Carolina Panthers
CBS Sports mock draft: Round 1, Pick 6, Carolina Panthers
WalterFootball.com mock draft: Round 1, Pick 6, Carolina Panthers
ESPN mock draft: Round 1, Pick 7, New York Giants
Pro Football Network mock draft: Round 1, Pick 10, New York Jets
Outlook: Cross’ most popular destination is Carolina, as three of the five mock drafts have the Bulldogs’ left tackle headed to Charlotte. Cross is part of a tackle group that also includes North Carolina State’s Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu and Alabama’s Evan Neal, and most projections have one or both drafted ahead of Cross. Still, Cross still goes in the top 10 in every mock, and even the No. 10 pick has a projected signing bonus of more than $13.6 million.
Cornerback Martin Emerson
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 200 pounds
Big boards: Kiper: No. 104; PFF: No. 108
Pro Football Network: Round 2, Pick 62, Kansas City Chiefs
ESPN: Round 3, Pick 71, Chicago Bears
WalterFootball.com: Round 3, Pick 73, Indianapolis Colts
CBS Sports: Round 3, Pick 96, Denver Broncos
Sporting News: Round 4, Pick 113, Washington Commanders
Outlook: Emerson’s size and length project well at the next level, though his draft range appears to be wide. He could go anywhere from Rounds 2 to 4 (or perhaps slip lower) and to teams all over the NFL spectrum. The Florida native had PFF’s top coverage grade for a Southeastern Conference corner since 2020, but he was rarely targeted as teams chose to throw the ball to the other side of the field rather than test Emerson.
Wide receiver Makai Polk
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 200 pounds
Big boards: Kiper: No. 134; PFF: No. 212
ESPN: Round 4, Pick 104, Houston Texans
CBS Sports: Round 6, Pick 185, Buffalo Bills
Pro Football Network: Round 7, Pick 223, Cleveland Browns
Sporting News: Undrafted
WalterFootball.com: Undrafted
Outlook: The mock drafts are also split on Polk, with only three of the five expecting him to be drafted at all. If so, Matt Miller of ESPN has Polk as high as the early fourth round, while Pro Football Network has the Bulldogs’ wideout as a Round 7 pick. If Polk is drafted, he will have been able to parlay one season in Starkville into a professional payday. The Cal transfer caught 105 passes for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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