Some were surprised when the Washington Commanders selected Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes at No. 16 in the 2023 NFL draft with Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez still on the board.
Gonzalez, along with Devon Witherspoon [who went No. 5 to Seattle], were considered the top cornerback prospects in a draft deep at the position.
Washington didn’t agree.
As different writers and analysts continue to weigh in with their opinions regarding the draft, ESPN recently featured a group of “experts” weighing on different topics.
One of the questions: What was the biggest head-scratching pick?
Two of the 10 respondents named Forbes going to Washington at No. 16.
First, Jason Reid — who once covered Washington with the Washington Post:
Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes to the Washington Commanders at No. 16. It was bad enough that the Commanders didn’t address their offensive line in the first round. But to instead take a 166-pound player so high, well, their whole approach here was a true head-scratcher.
Let’s address Reid’s criticism. We all agreed ahead of the draft that the Commanders should address the offensive line early. But once the top four offensive tackles were off the board, Washington wisely chose not to reach for Anton Harrison or someone similar at No. 16. That’s smart. You don’t overreach to draft for need, and if the Commanders had selected an offensive lineman just to satisfy the “draft experts,” they’d be falling back into their old ways.
As for Forbes being 166 pounds, we shall see.
Next is former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum.
Forbes to the Commanders at No. 16. While I like Forbes’ game a lot, I thought a 6-foot-1, 197-pound Christian Gonzalez — who was still on the board at Washington’s pick — was the better player. Forbes has ball skills (14 career interceptions), but his 6-foot, 166-pound frame concerns me in the first round.
We aren’t even going to address Tannenbaum’s comments. We shall leave you with this.
Forbes will have every opportunity to prove the Commanders right in 2023. Washington is betting on Forbes’ big-play ability translating to the next level.