There were questions when the Washington Commanders selected Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes over Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez at No. 16 overall in the 2023 NFL draft.
It’s not as if teams didn’t like Forbes. Several teams and draft analysts raved about Forbes, specifically his ball skills. Forbes set an FBS record with six interceptions returned for touchdowns in his three-year college career. And, playing in the SEC, Forbes routinely played against college football’s top wide receivers.
However, teams were concerned about Forbes’ slight frame.
With their second-round pick, the Commanders doubled down in the secondary, selecting the versatile Quan Martin of Illinois. Martin could play everywhere in the secondary and was seen as a valuable second-round pick, but Washington was criticized for not focusing on other need areas, such as the offensive line.
After one NFL season, there are many questions about Forbes, not so much about Martin. Forbes showed signs of flashes, but in a Week 4 loss to the Eagles, Washington’s coaches kept him in a one-on-one matchup against Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown. Brown continuously beat Forbes. The following week, D.J. Moore of the Chicago Bears did the same thing to the rookie.
Forbes was benched. He returned, was benched again and returned again. The former coaching staff did nothing for Forbes. Washington’s former defensive coordinator (Jack Del Rio) and defensive backs coach (Brent Vieselmeyer) were fired after a Thanksgiving blowout loss at Dallas.
Martin showed flashes throughout the second half of the season and looks to have a bright future under Washington’s new coaching staff.
New defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. mentioned Forbes and Martin as players he liked coming out of last year’s draft.
Outside of Forbes and Martin, the Commanders had five other draft picks. Only two gave them much of anything last season: Fifth-round DE K.J. Henry and sixth-round RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
CBS Sports NFL draft expert Chris Trapasso recently analyzed each 2023 draft class by the number of “hits” each team had after one season.
Washington had one: Rodriguez.
It clearly wasn’t a high-volume role for Rodriguez as a rookie, but he nearly averaged five yards per tote and forced an impressive 12 missed tackles on his 51 carries. Other than Rodriguez, the Washington 2023 draft class was essentially non-existent, and first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes was a liability in coverage.
He’s not wrong. Rodriguez routinely displayed his ability in limited opportunities. As for Martin, we’d call him a “hit,” but we can also understand the jury remains out.
This draft class will always be remembered for Forbes. As other rookie cornerbacks saw more immediate success than Forbes, his selection will be criticized. However, no one should write him off. He had one bad season with an underperforming, lame-duck coaching staff.
New head coach Dan Quinn, Whitt, defensive pass game coordinator Jason Simmons and veteran assistant John Pagano bring plenty of NFL experience to Washington’s staff in 2024. Forbes, Martin and others should benefit from a much better coaching staff next season.