It’s All Or Nothing With First-Round Corner Emmanuel Forbes

There is no question Emmanuel Forbes shows a first-round skill set on game film.

The problem is for every great play this Mississippi State cornerback makes, there was a play that left me scratching my head.

This was a consistent pattern throughout these three games studied.

The frustrating part is Forbes is the most talented corner I’ve seen in the 2023 NFL Draft class, and I believe he has the most playmaking ability.

The inconsistencies are the tough part.

Forbes has all the traits of an elite corner

In some ways, Forbes reminds me of watching superstar rookie Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner prior to last year’s draft while at the University of Cincinnati.

I said in some ways.

Forbes is lanky with long arms and an aura of swag. In those ways, he’s like Gardner.

He shows he has the kind of athletic ability it takes to stay in phase in press man too. Plus, he has that coveted short-area burst.

Forbes additionally demonstrates great ball instincts time and time again.

That’s where the comparison end.

Let Downs

There is no excuse with the pure ability Forbes has that he is getting beat as much as he did in this three-game study.

He is best in press-man coverage, and when he was in off-man he gave too big of cushions and got beat repeatedly.

If only that was the extent of the problems.

He got smoked deep (luckily for his sake the pass was overthrown) against Kentucky.

Forbes additionally allowed a couple of catches with hard breakpoints back to the quarterback. Granted, he secured the tackles right after those grabs, but that’s not good enough.

He also got beat badly against LSU when he bit too hard on an outside move. The result was the receiver got behind him, caught the ball, and glided right into the end zone.

Another time, Forbes hesitated at the breakpoint and it cost him.

In general, he misses some tackles too and he flat-out quit sometimes in support.

He has these momentary lapses an NFL team is going to have to live with.

As much as I love Forbes at times, he looks like a corner who will live and die by the sword.

In the end, he reminds me more of DeAngelo Hall, a former first-round corner (No. 8 overall) who was known for having big-time ability but also known for giving up a lot of big plays.

Forbes is a playmaker

Here’s the thing I love about Forbes – – he’s a playmaking difference-maker – – and that’s what the first-round is all about.

At the end of the day, Forbes practically leads the nation in the category of interceptions.

He’s tied for first with five picks at this point, and he’s defended another seven passes.

That’s not too bad.

In 2020, Forbes had five interceptions and six passes defended.

In 2021, Forbes had three interceptions and five passes defended.

Starting to see a pattern?

#13 Emmanuel Forbes 6-foot-0, 180 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Grade: First-Round – Fall 2022 Report

First Round Mock Big Board: TBD

Projected by 10.0% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of November 12, 2022 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2021 game film reviewed: Kentucky, Alabama and LSU (click to watch games viewed to form this evaluation)

Level of competition: High

2021 stats: 59 tackles (45 solo, 14 assists), 5 passes defended, 3 INT., 1 sack, 1 forced fumble

NFL comparable: DeAngelo Hall and Fred Smoot

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report:

Lean framed predatorial corner with top-shelf athletic ability, straight-line speed, ball instincts and he has a sudden short-area burst. Can line up press man, off-man, and zone, but best in press. Mirrors receivers well initially. Effortlessly flip his hips and runs to stay in phase most of the time. Inconsistent maintaining route leverage. Excellent ball skills and knows when to look for the pass. Has what it takes to jump routes too. Gives up too easily at times and lapses both in coverage and in support. A hit-and-miss hitter who makes some stops and misses some tackling attempts. Intriguing prospect.

What to watch for during the 2022 college football season:

1. How does he look in deep-pass coverage?
2. Too much cushion in off-man?
3. Does he give up in support?
4. Missing tackles?

I like Forbes. I like him a lot.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated New York Jets and he is the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.