Commanders Rookie Emmanuel Forbes Should 'Fit in Right Away'

Emmanuel Forbes matches the vision and identity that the Washington Commanders have been trying to build.

Jeremy Brener | May 1, 2023

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Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders doubled down on their identity in the first round of the NFL Draft by picking Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes with the No. 16 pick.

The team had the opportunity to select Christian Gonzalez, a bigger corner with higher overall grades among draft pundits, but ultimately chose Forbes, who believes his style of play matches the Commanders to a tee.

“They play real hard, real fast, real physical, honestly," Forbes said. "And that's something that I'm really good at doing. Coming from Mississippi State, you have to play fast, hard, and physical and I would just fit in right away, I hope so.”

This isn't saying that Gonzalez wouldn't have been a good fit for the Commanders. He has the chance to have an excellent career starting under Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, but Forbes' answer to what he brings to the table is likely a big reason why Washington fell in love with him during the draft process.

“I'm going to bring a guy that's going to have a great attitude, come in and work every day, just helping the team win games and hopefully my game is turning the ball over and create a lot of turnovers for the Washington Commanders,” Forbes said.

Forbes has more pick-sixes than any player in NCAA history with six, and that is certainly a place where he can help the Commanders immediately. Washington had just 18 takeawaysas a team last season, a number it hopes will increase with Forbes' presence in the secondary.

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Published May 1, 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.