Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (born January 13, 2001) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

for the Washington Commanders of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Mississippi State and holds the FBS record for most career

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

s returned for a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

with six. Forbes was selected by the Commanders in the first round of the

2023 NFL Draft The 2023 NFL Draft will be the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held in the plaza outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27–29, ...

Early life

Forbes was born on January 13, 2001, in

Grenada, Mississippi Grenada is a city in Grenada County, Mississippi, Grenada County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 13,092 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grenada County, Mississippi, Grenada County. History ...

. He grew up playing football in youth leagues, often as a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

, before attending

Grenada High School Grenada High School is a public high school located in Grenada, Mississippi, United States. It educates students in grades 9 through 12 and is the only high school in the Grenada School District. History The first public high school in Grenada w ...

, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. In football he recorded 49 tackles with eight interceptions as a

, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Forbes also caught 31 passes for 499 yards and seven touchdowns as a wide receiver, and returned a punt and blocked field goal for touchdowns on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. Forbes was considered the second-best prospect in Mississippi's 2020 recruiting class. In December 2019, he signed a

National Letter of Intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

to play

for the

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

. He had also received several JUCO offers to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

College career

Forbes was included on the SEC All-Freshman team after recording 45 tackles and five

s, three of which were returned for a

. He started every game as a sophomore in 2021, recording 59 tackles and three interceptions. He was a

consensus All-American The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best college football players in the United States at their respective positions. The original use of the term ''All-America'' seems to have been to the 1889 College Football ...

as a junior after recording six interceptions with three returned for touchdowns. Considered a ballhawk, Forbes holds the

NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

(FBS) record for most career interceptions returned for a touchdown with six and is fourth in Mississippi State history with 14 interceptions. He also holds school records for the longest interception return at 90 yards, doing so at the 2020 Armed Forces Bowl, and the most interception yards in a season with 183, doing so as a freshman.

Professional career

Forbes was selected by the Washington Commanders in the first round (16th overall) of the

. His slim weight is a common point of discussion, with him being the only cornerback drafted since 2000 to weigh under 170 pounds at the

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...

. He signed a fully guaranteed four-year $15.4 million contract on July 22, 2023. Forbes recorded his first career interception in his second game, a 35-33 win over the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

. In the Week 4 loss against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

, he was widely criticized for his poor performance covering wide receiver A. J. Brown. The following week, Forbes was benched on

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...

after multiple blown coverages against

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

wide receiver

D. J. Moore Denniston Oliver "D. J." Moore Jr. (born April 14, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played college football at Maryland. He was drafted by the Carolina Pant ...

. Following the benching, Forbes was downgraded on the team's depth chart and removed from the defense's starting lineup. In the first quarter of the Week 10 game, Forbes was ejected after an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit against

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

wide receiver

Tyler Lockett Tyler Deron Lockett (born September 28, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college f ...

. The NFL would fine Forbes for $15,563 for his Week 10 ejection.

Personal life

Forbes is the second-youngest of 3 siblings. He wears several necklaces for good luck, most featuring the Christian cross, while playing sports and performing daily activities such as showering. His father gave him his first necklace after

closing Closing may refer to: Business and law * Closing (law), a closing argument, a summation * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction * Closing (sales), the process of making a sale * Closure (business), Closing a ...

a win as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

in a championship baseball game. In June 2023, Forbes participated in a celebrity

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

game hosted by

Greg Newsome II Gregory Newsome II (born May 18, 2000) is an American football cornerback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Northwestern and was drafted by the Browns in the first round of the 2021 ...

at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio.

References

External links

*
Washington Commanders bio

Mississippi State Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, Emmanuel 2001 births Living people All-American college football players American football cornerbacks Mississippi State Bulldogs football players Players of American football from Mississippi People from Grenada, Mississippi African-American players of American football Washington Commanders players