There’s a lot of excitement among Los Angeles Rams fans after the team claimed 2023 first-round cornerback Emmanuel Forbes off waivers this week. Though he’s struggled in the NFL thus far, he’s still less than two years removed from being the 16th overall pick in the draft so he still has time to turn things around.
That excitement, however, may have ticked down a notch on Wednesday after the Rams shared a video of Forbes at his first practice with his new team. Everyone in the replies on X (formerly Twitter) had the same thought about Forbes: He sure is…skinny.
It’s hard not to notice how slender his frame is, particularly his lower half where players get so much of their power and explosiveness.
Here are some of the replies to seeing Forbes on the practice field for the first time.
Fellas… Dont skip leg day! 🤣
— Allen Sales (@AllenSales) December 5, 2024
He in LA now some mexican street tacos and Burritos should help him Bulk right up in no time 😆🌮🌯🫔
— Rams_Chick07 (@Rams_Chick07) December 5, 2024
Those legs play football?
— Brian (@fhbrian) December 5, 2024
How do you use a first round pick on this frame as a defensive player
— Philly Nation (@Philly__Nation) December 5, 2024
can we feed this something man.
i get he’s got a small build but he’s got to get some more muscle than what he’s got.
— 47Fan (@47_fanx) December 5, 2024
Eating Szn 🔥🔥‼️
— LaQuan Jones (@RealDealFantasy) December 5, 2024
Man this dude needs some LA food
— DMarcus Jones (@DmarcusJ24) December 5, 2024
The replies go on and on and on, but you get the point.
Coming out of Mississippi State, one of the biggest concerns about Forbes as a prospect was his weight. At the NFL combine, he weighed in at 166 pounds, making him one of the lightest players in the league. Tutu Atwell, for comparison, weighed 155 pounds at the combine but he’s only 5-foot-9. Forbes is 6-1, so his frame is wiry thin.
His slimmer stature isn’t the only reason things didn’t work out but it was absolutely a red flag in the pre-draft process – and it doesn’t seem like he’s added any weight since then.
Hopefully he has more success with the Rams than he did in Washington because there’s certainly a need for cornerback help in Los Angeles that he’ll have a chance to fill in the next two years.
