Emmanuel Forbes: 2023 NFL Draft CB1

He [Forbes] loves the game, loves playing.

Television announcer during the ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Illinois

Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes is a playmaker.

In fact, game film says he is the biggest playmaking cornerback (CB) in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The stats confirm the game film.

Forbes returned six interceptions for touchdowns during his college career – – that’s an FBS and an SEC record.

All told, he notched 14 interceptions and 22 passes defended during his time at Mississippi State over three seasons.

What’s his secret?

Positioning.

Forbes puts himself in a great position on routes. That stuck out most in this latest three-game evaluation that I’m adding to his overall evaluation.

He has an uncanny knack for being at the right place at the right time, which is how he ended up with those records.

YAC prohibited

Of course, “YAC,” is the football abbreviation for “yards after catch,” and outside of him breaking up passes, this skill of his took second place.

Even when Forbes allows catches, he literally is right on top of the receiver and makes the stops immediately after the catches, prohibiting additional yardage from being picked up.

Please mute size concerns

I keep hearing the same knock on Forbes – – his size – – his size – – blah, blah, blah.

Whoever talks about his size hasn’t watched the game film.

This Mississippi State corner is extremely physical. He had no problem matching up against much bigger receivers. Not only that, but he’s a complete corner. I had eight plays noted in these three games he got in on the run stop. If he wasn’t involved, he was in position.

Big man on campus

I feel like I need to dedicate two sections to this because of the “size concerns.”

They don’t get any bigger than Georgia’s tight end Darnell Washington, and when Forbes matched up with him, there was zero back down.

See for yourself.

NFL audition

Not only was that impressive, but from the word go, I liked Forbes’ body language against Georgia.

Confident and demonstrative.

Georgia is the closest thing to an NFL team college football has to offer.

What’s the takeaway?

It promises to be a smooth transition for this Mississippi corner into the NFL.

Sauce 2.0?

Forbes is the closest thing to Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner in this draft class, but Sauce is 6-foot-3 and has two inches on Forbes?

True..true…

Granted Gardner didn’t record a vertical jump coming out of Cincinnati, but he did record one coming out of high school of 33″ (espn.com). Forbes posted a vertical of 37.5″ at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Maybe Forbes makes up the difference?

Gardner ran a 4.41 40-yard dash.

Forbes posted a 4.35.

Gardner put up a 1.54 (10-yard-split).

Forbes did it in 1.48.

Gardner had a NEXT GEN STATS Score Breakdown of 92. Forbes finished at 88. Gardner’s arms measured 33 1/2. Forbes’s arms measured 32 1/4.

Not only does the game film scream top-10, but so do the testing numbers. I evaluated Gardner before he was selected by the Jets, and I’ve evaluated Forbes.

Gardner won 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Honors.

Forbes?

#13 Emmanuel Forbes 6-foot-1, 166 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Final 2023 NFL Draft Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

First Round Mock Big Board: Top-10

Bust Probability: Low

Projected by 23.5% (up from 18.6% on February 20) of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of April 13, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2022 game film reviewed: Georgia, Arkansas, and Illinois (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

Previous articles (with other seven games evaluated):

Emmanuel Forbes Reminds Former NFL Scout of Sauce Gardner

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

Level of Competition: High

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

2022 stats: 46 tackles (26 solo, 20 assists), 11 passes defended, 6 INT, 3 TD

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Lanky lean frame with long arms, good straight-line speed, burst, and a lurking predator disposition. Plays press and off man, as well as zone. Prefers press man. Handsy. Uses hands well. Stays in phase. Achieves route leverage. Good technique and understanding of the position. Reads eyes of the receiver. Knows when to make his move. Handles things without safety help. Willing to stick his nose in on run support and will chase it down.

Final words

I’ve given Forbes the highest grade of any draft platform (No. 6).

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.