​Martin Emerson Jr. signed with the New Orleans Saints in hopes of winning a starting job, but before he competes at training camp, he made time to give back to his Pensacola hometown with a two-day youth football camp. The former Cleveland Browns draft pick and Mississippi Bulldogs star got his start at Pine Forest High School and remembers the awe he felt when pros hosted their own youth camps in the hot Florida summer. He feels it’s just natural that he give the next generation those same memories.”One day they’ll be in our shoes and he’ll be leading our community,” Martin told the Pensacola News Journal’s Justin Fitzgerald. “Any way I can better the generation and give them fruits, that’s what I’m willing to do. That’s why I feel like God has placed me here.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe isn’t the only member of the Saints hosting youth football camps during the offseason; his fellow cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry did the same in Alabama while wide receivers coach Keith Williams returned to Nebraska for his own retreat. The monthlong break between minicamp practices and the daily grind of training camp in Metairie gives a lot of guys time to remember where they’ve come from.And Emerson remembers watching a lot of Saints games growing up.”It’s a surreal moment,” Emerson added. “I’m thankful for it. I grew up watching Drew Brees, Tracy Porter, Michael Thomas, Marques Colston, all these guys and now I’m in a Saints uniform. It’s a blessing.”Emerson suffered a season-ending Achilles injury at Browns training camp last year, but the Saints brought him in on a one-year deal after the 2026 NFL Draft. Now he’s expected to compete with incumbents like Quincy Riley and Isaac Yiadom for the starting gig opposite McKinstry. He was a highly-regarded piece of the Browns defense before that untimely injury, racking up 29 passes defensed in his first two seasons, and now he has a chance to reestablish himself not too far from home. It’s safe to say he’ll have a strong crowd of support in Pensacola cheering him on.1 / 15Young athletes run drills during his Youth Football Camp at Pine Forest High School Saturday, July 11, 2026, Emerson was on hand helping to run drills, engage with the youth, and provide hydration, giveaways, and lunch.(John Blackie/Pensacola News Journal, John Blackie/Pensacola News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints corner Martin Emerson Jr. hosts annual youth football camp