Mississippi State football's Emmanuel Forbes: Washington Commanders not worried by weight
Stefan Krajisnik
Moments after hearing his named called in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Mississippi State football cornerback Emmanuel Forbes met with reporters. In his first press conference, albeit virtual, since the Washington Commanders took his with the 16th overall pick Thursday, Forbes exuded the same confidence he did as a college star.
It didn’t take long for questions surrounding his weight of 166 pounds to arise. As has been the case through the draft process, Forbes showed little concern about the worry surrounding his pre-draft stock.
“Weight is going to come over time,” Forbes said. “I’m not going to stress about it. They didn’t have a problem with it. That’s why they drafted me."
Forbes was the lightest cornerback in the class, though he remained a first-round pick in most mock drafts. However, not many had him picked in the teens – in large part to the worry about his size translating to the NFL. The FBS all-time leader in interceptions returned for touchdowns (six) will have a chance to prove doubters wrong in the nation’s capital.
“They didn’t care too much about my weight because I could play ball,” Forbes said. “That’s all that matters. It never affected my game. It really didn’t play a factor.”
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Forbes’ growth from Grenada
Nearly half of Forbes’ 14 interceptions were taken back for scores, including one against Kentucky’s Will Levis. What separated Forbes from many of his counterparts was the ability to make an explosive play to swing a game, and it’s something he feels stems from his younger days in Grenada, Mississippi.
“It came from high school being a receiver,” Forbes said. “I had a knack for the ball, honestly. It just translated over to DB. If I feel like if I can get my hands on it, I’m trying to go pick it.”
Rather than going to the NFL Draft in Kansas City, Forbes heard his name called surrounded by his family at home.
Growing up with 10 siblings, Forbes wanted to ensure he was around as many of them as possible when Commanders coach Ron Rivera called him. It was easy to tell who was who with his family sporting white shirts reading, “proud mom” and, “proud sister.”
“It was a lot of fun hearing my name called,” Forbes said.
"I didn’t know where I was going,” he added. “I’m proud to be a Washington Commander now.”
From MSU to D.C.
While he’ll be nearly 900 miles from Starkville, Forbes is going to a franchise with plenty of ties to Mississippi State. Defensive end Montez Sweat has been with the Commanders since they drafted him in the first round in 2019. Sweat finished second on the team with eight sacks last season.
Forbes’ connection to MSU also extends to his position group. Cameron Dantzler, who was a third-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2020 NFL Draft, was claimed off waivers by Washington in March.
“They play real hard, real fast, real physical,” said Forbes of Washington’s defense. “That’s something that I’m really good at doing. I’m from Mississippi State where you’ve got to play fast, hard and physical. I’ll just fit in right away − I hope so.”
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.