Ron Rivera Reveals Why Commanders Took 2 Defensive Backs to Start NFL Draft

The Washington Commanders selected Emmanuel Forbes and Quan Martin to start their 2023 NFL Draft class.

Jeremy Brener | May 9, 2023

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Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders have a new-look secondary after taking Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes and Illinois defensive back Quan Martin in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.

It's very rare to see a pair of players who play similar positions be taken by the same team with its first two picks, but Ron Rivera explained why the Commanders went against the grain.

“They were very highly rated on our board, first of all, to begin with," Rivera said. "But then secondly, the fit. When we got to that point and we're looking at what the options were, we really felt we could solidify that depth that we need in the secondary and actually have a guy that's also come in and compete to start at nickel and gives us some safety value as well.”

There's room for both Forbes and Martin to get some serious playing time right away. Forbes is expected to be an outside cornerback while Martin could slide inside at the nickel.

By drafting both players, the Commanders are also signaling that they have an eye on the future. Veteran Kendall Fuller is in the final year of his contract, and Washington will have to replace him eventually. There's a chance that the team could even look to move on from Fuller as early as this offseason. Washington could save up to $8.5 million by cutting the 28-year-old ahead of training camp.

That being said, whether Fuller remains on the team or not, the Commanders saw two talented players regardless of position, and looked to add them to the roster. Now that the talent is in the building, the Commanders can find the right direction for each of them.

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Published May 9, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.