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The Washington Commanders have a new defensive playmaker after selecting Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes with the 16th pick in the 1st round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Washington was expected to go cornerback or OT in the first round, and a run on offensive linemen made it clear that they were going with a defensive back. The only question was which one, Devon Witherspoon was considered the best CB in the draft and he was the first one off the board. That left Christian Gonzalez, Forbes, Banks, Branch and a few others. Washington was high on Forbes and that was their choice.
Ron Rivera
Takeaways:
In an interview with Julie Donaldson, Rivera said Forbes' takeaways were what stood out to them the most. "If we lacked anything last year...it was the takeaways." Also said Forbes does "a heck of a job" in man and zone coverage
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) April 28, 2023
Size:
On Forbes' size, Rivera points out that Forbes played in the SEC, which is "a step below" the NFL. Didn't miss any game time and showed up every day
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) April 28, 2023
Competitive:
Rivera said that Forbes is "very competitive." One thing that stood out was how Forbes talked about missed opportunities and how upset he was about them
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) April 28, 2023
Ball skills:
Rivera: with his ball skills, he's one of those guys who has the ability to make plays
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) April 28, 2023
LIVE: HC Ron Rivera and GM Martin Mayhew meet with the media after Day 1 of the #NFLDraft https://t.co/XlL6utnrb8
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 28, 2023
Game changer:
Commanders GM Martin Mayhew: "He's a difference-maker. He's a game-changer. I think people throw around the term ball-hawk loosely, but this guy really is that. ... He's one of my favorite guys in this draft."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 28, 2023
Elevate the D:
Rivera said he thinks Forbes will help elevate the D.
— John Keim (@john_keim) April 28, 2023
Physicality:
Ron Rivera and Martin Mayhew addressing the media. Said Forbes’ ball skills stood out, but he also mentioned Forbes’ physicality and low injury history
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) April 28, 2023
Forbes’ weight:
Rivera said Forbes is still growing and will put in weight as he matures. That said, he has no concerns with Forbes’ weight. He’s been durable and done so in the SEC
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) April 28, 2023
Routes/Tracking the ball:
Mayhew said Forbes has a really good feel for routes and knows how to locate and track the ball
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) April 28, 2023
Total package:
Martin Mayhew on Emmanuel Forbes: "He's the total package. He does everything a corner should be able to do"
— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) April 28, 2023
“Fit the bill from Day 1”:
Martin Mayhew on Forbes: "He was on our radar from the beginning. ... I put his tape on after I saw his numbers and he totally fit the bill from Day 1."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 28, 2023
Accountability:
Rivera says one thing he really liked about Emmanuel Forbes in their interviews was his accountability and that he learned from mistakes.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) April 28, 2023
Ron Rivera appreciated a pre-draft conversation he had with Emmanuel Forbes where Rivera showed Forbes a play where he was beat on a double-move and Forbes owned up to having poor eye discipline
— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) April 28, 2023
Who plays the slot?:
Ron Rivera said they'll decide on who will play the slot after seeing everyone on the field. So ... camp.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 28, 2023
Quarterbacks:
Rivera on QBs who were available: there wasn’t any consideration there. Mentioned how much they like Jacoby and Howell
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) April 28, 2023
Ron Rivera said they weren't tempted to take QBs Will Levis or Hendon Hooker at 16: "We think Sam and Jacoby and Jake for that matter give us a good room right now."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 28, 2023
Trading back:
Martin Mayhew said last year, Washington received plenty of calls from teams looking to move up in the draft.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) April 28, 2023
This year, nada. Sign of the perceived weakness of the clas (and picking 16 instead of 11 initially).
Chase Young’s 5th-year option:
Ron Rivera on declining Chase Young’s fifth-year option: “It was a football decision.” He says if Young balls out in 2023, that’ll be a good problem to have.
— Matthew Paras (@Matthew_Paras) April 28, 2023
“We want to take care of our own.”
Rivera says the new ownership group wasn’t consulted on the Chase Young decision. The call needed to be made.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) April 28, 2023
Finding more starters:
Ron Rivera on the rest of the draft: "There's still a possibility we could find another starter or two."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 28, 2023
LIVE: The newest Commander Emmanuel Forbes meets with the media https://t.co/XobggnivDD
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 28, 2023
Call from Ron Rivera:
Emmanuel Forbes on joining the Commanders: pic.twitter.com/uauGS2ZdH1
— Matthew Paras (@Matthew_Paras) April 28, 2023
Emmanuel Forbes: "Ready to get to work with the team and win games."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 28, 2023
He said Ron Rivera called him to tell him.
"It changed my life."
Emmanuel Forbes addressing the media. Said it's a life-changing experience hearing from Ron River and he's ready to get to work.
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) April 28, 2023
Joining the Washington Commanders:
Emmanuel Forbes says he was hoping the Commanders would call. Said he had a great visit in Ashburn. Hopes to “create a lot of turnovers for the Washington Commanders…I’m proud to be a Washington Commander.” pic.twitter.com/meqI6ywkCj
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) April 28, 2023
Ball-hawking skills, former WR:
Forbes said his ball-hawking ability comes from his history at WR
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) April 28, 2023
Weight:
Emmanuel Forbes on his weight: "They didn't have a problem with it. That's why they drafted me. ... I can play ball. That's all that matters."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 28, 2023
Former Mississippi State/Washington players:
Emmanuel Forbes says he doesn't know Montez Sweat, who also played at Miss State but before him.
— Chris Russell AKA the ! (@Russellmania621) April 28, 2023
Also, knows of Fred Smoot. Was told Fred talks a lot. And about him. #Commanders
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