Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr. Declares for 2023 NFL Draft

The defensive back will forego his senior season and turn pro early.

Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. has announced that he will forego his senior season and enter the 2023 NFL Draft.

Forbes broke the news via his social media accounts on Thursday night. The junior put together an incredible career in the Maroon and White, and his decision to turn pro early did not come as a surprise.

The native of Grenada, Mississippi, played in each of the Bulldogs' 11 games as a freshman, starting nine of them. Forbes finished the 2020 season with 44 tackles, five interceptions, three pick-sixes and six pass breakups. He received countless accolades at the end of the year, including being named to the 2020 Freshman All-SEC Team, the 2020 Phil Steele All-SEC Second Team and the 2020 247Sports True Freshman All-America Team.

Forbes continued his success into his 2021 sophomore season and did damage all across the field with a career-high 59 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, one sack, three interceptions and five pass breakups. Head coach Mike Leach tabbed him as the starter for all 13 contests.

2022 proved to be the defensive back's breakthrough season. Forbes continued to serve as one of the top contributors for the tough Bulldogs defense, notching 39 total tackles, nine pass breakups, six interceptions and three pick-sixes on the year. He added a blocked kick in MSU's dominant victory over Texas A&M, which was picked up and returned for a touchdown by teammate DeCamerion Richardson. Forbes also snagged two interceptions in the matchup against the Aggies, leading him to be named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week and the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week.

Towards the end of the season, Forbes found his way into the record books. He officially became both the SEC and FBS career leader in interceptions returned for touchdowns with an 82-yard pick-six against East Tennessee State on Nov. 19. He was most recently named to PFF's All-SEC First Team, and more honors are expected to come in soon.

Forbes has the makings of an NFL Superstar and will spend the next few months preparing to play with the pros. NFL Mock Draft Database currently projects that he will be selected in the second round, but he has an 11.2 percent chance of being picked earlier than that.

The 2023 NFL Draft will begin on April 27, 2023.

Been a pleasure playing for my home state! Hail State‼️ pic.twitter.com/XkQJzsLRNV

— Emmanuel Forbes Jr💫⚡️ (@emmanuelforbes7) December 2, 2022