The biggest knock on new Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes is his weight. The 6-foot-1 corner weighed in at just 166 pounds at the NFL combine in March.
Playing in the SEC, Forbes went against the best teams in the country on a weekly basis, and his weight was never an issue. In three college seasons, Forbes had 14 interceptions, returning six for touchdowns — an FBS record.
After the Commanders selected Forbes Thursday, he met virtually with the Washington media, and the weight issue came up.
“Weight is going to come over time,” Forbes said. “I’m not going to stress about it; they didn’t have a problem with it, that’s why they drafted me, so I’m just going to enjoy it and just keep on being myself and trying to gain weight but be comfortable.”
That’s a perfect answer.
When seeing Forbes, you probably think of a cornerback who can sometimes make business decisions on the field. That’s not Forbes. His physicality is a positive. He’s a willing tackler.
Is his weight an issue with the NFL teams he spoke to in the pre-draft process?
“Honestly, they didn’t really care too much about my weight because I can play ball.,” Forbes said. “That’s all that matters, and it never affected my game, so it really didn’t play a factor.”
Forbes is right; he can play ball. And for Washington, that’s the most important thing.