The Washington Commanders may have surprised some teams by selecting Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes at No. 16 overall in the 2023 NFL draft. But it was clear that Washington was locked in on Forbes once the top offensive tackles were gone.
It wasn’t a shock that Forbes landed in the top 20. The surprise was he went before Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who some felt was the top cornerback prospect in the draft. Not Washington. The Commanders always had Forbes higher on their draft board.
Despite his slight frame, Washington believes Forbes has what it takes to be an elite cornerback. Forbes only missed one game in college, and it wasn’t due to injury.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN revealed some critical intel on all 32 teams after the 2023 NFL draft. Of course, Forbes was the focus for Washington. Fowler spoke to Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett, Forbes’ former defensive coordinator with the Bulldogs, who offered extremely high praise for his former star pupil.
Emmanuel Forbes as CB2 was a mild surprise for mock drafters who had Christian Gonzalez going higher, but Forbes gained steam as the pre-draft process played out. NFL coaches agreed that, assuming his slim frame (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) isn’t a major issue, his playmaking will translate. Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett considers Forbes an “interception machine” after watching him nab 14 picks over three years. “The best ball skills I’ve seen as a coach,” Arnett told me. Washington expects some growing pains as Forbes learns to cover the likes of CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown twice per year. But the Commanders believe the long-term play will yield elite results.
The key term here is Washington does expect “some growing pains.” Fans shouldn’t expect Forbes to have two pick-sixes in his first career game. Forbes has unbelievable ball skills, which many believe will translate to the next level. It’s all about Forbes’ size. Would we talk about him differently if he weighed 186 instead of 166?
Literally, the only knock most have on Forbes is his size. If he can prove — again — that his frame isn’t an issue, there’s reason to believe the Commanders found their next Pro Bowl cornerback.