Special From The Start
April 27, 2023 | Football, Joel Coleman
Emmanuel Forbes, Jr. was a star from day one with Mississippi State and is now on the cusp of fulfilling his NFL dreams.
STARKVILLE – It was last month following Mississippi State's on-campus Pro Day and Emmanuel Forbes' media session was winding down. A question came from a reporter:
"Do you think you are the best corner in this [NFL Draft]?"
Forbes replied with no hesitation at all.
"Yes, 100 percent," he said, along with a nod and a look that let onlookers know he meant exactly what he said.
And why wouldn't he? As the NFL Draft begins on Thursday night with Forbes looking to become the fifth MSU player taken in the first round since 2019, he brings with him a resume that is unmatched.
FBS career record for pick-sixes? Check.
Most interceptions of any other college player this decade? Check.
All-American? Check.
The list goes on and on and on.
Forbes stands as one of the most talented Bulldogs to ever wear the Maroon and White and whatever team is fortunate enough to get to call his name will be getting an incredibly special player. Anyone who needs a reminder of that needs only to look back to 2020 and Forbes' first season in Starkville, because he didn't just become special. He's been special from the start.
THE BEGINNING
It was September 26, 2020. Mississippi State was opening up its season at LSU – then the defending national champions.
A freshman Forbes didn't start that day. State cornerbacks coach Darcel McBath said, at the time, he wasn't sure if it was fair to throw Forbes right into such a fire.
"It was an All-SEC schedule [that year]," McBath recalled. "There were no quote-unquote, 'warm-up games' where you put him out there and see what he could do. We started the year at LSU and, I'll be honest, I was scared to death to put him in. At the time, he hadn't been in our weight program for very long and hadn't really developed that much strength and I didn't really know how he would handle it."
McBath did eventually put Forbes on the field down in Death Valley. He recorded one tackle and, in a sign of things to come, wrapped up the game with his first career interception. Forbes had arrived.
"He's one of those guys that every time you think he can't do something, you put him out there and he proves you wrong," McBath said. "From the jumpstart he excelled and outperformed everyone's expectations in terms of what we hoped we'd get. He exceeded them."
THE RISE
Two weeks after the 2020 game at LSU, Forbes was a Bulldog starter at corner and remained that way until his State career wrapped up earlier this year at the ReliaQuest Bowl. He used his three years at MSU to turn himself into one of the most complete defensive backs to ever play college football. That's not hyperbole.
Forbes' speed is remarkable. His 40-yard dash time of 4.35 seconds at this year's NFL Combine was one of the best marks of the entire event for anyone – regardless of position. And his pass defending skills are unmatched.
Throw at Forbes at your own risk. He's almost assuredly going to at least force an incompletion. But as anyone who's watched him knows, there's a good chance he's going to grab the ball himself, using the same hands and skill set that once made him a standout receiver at Grenada (Mississippi) High School.
In fact, McBath credits much of Forbes' interception success to his time as a prep pass catcher.
"It's huge," McBath said. "[Corners are] in the same position receivers are in 50 percent of the time. Those skills translate. Obviously, he was a really, really good receiver in high school. That skill set of tracking the ball in the air and getting the ball and timing and judging the ball in the air, that translated."
But Forbes didn't just become some ball-hawking defender. He didn't mind getting physical.
"We can make highlight tapes of his interceptions, but we can make a highlight tape of his tackles, too," McBath said. "He took pride in that. That's one thing I challenged him on as a freshman. Because of his size, I was worried he wouldn't be able to tackle. He put those worries to bed week one versus LSU. He made sure when he was in, he was going to be a sure tackler. He was going to be a tough tackler. And when they ran the ball at him, he was going to make offenses pay."
Forbes can shut down a passing game. He can stop a ball carrier. But McBath says Forbes' greatest strengths come from the neck up. Forbes has a brilliant football mind and an unmatched resolve.
There's the uncanny ability to process and retain information. McBath points back to this past season's Kentucky game and one of Forbes' three 2022 pick-sixes.
"I showed him that play one time all week because [Kentucky had] only ran it twice all year, but [Forbes] remembered the motion," McBath said. "He remembered the formation and jumped the route and took an interception for a touchdown. People don't understand how hard that is to do within a game with everything going on to recognize formations and actually go make a play on it. His ability to process information is as good as I've ever been around."
And on the off chance Forbes does get beat on a play, you'd never know it by watching the next one. He's as mentally resilient as they come, reminding McBath of one of McBath's former Denver Broncos teammates. Not just any teammate, but an NFL Hall of Fame cornerback.
"Playing this position, the cornerback position, you've got to have the utmost confidence and you always have to maintain your composure," McBath said. "In that aspect, [Forbes] reminded me of Champ Bailey. I played with Champ in Denver, and nothing ever rattled Champ. Champ was always on top of his game. Nothing every rattled him or stopped him from making a play, and he was always able to move on to the next play whether [the previous one] was good, bad or indifferent. Emmanuel has that."
THE REWARD
Forbes' many abilities have him now knocking at the door of his NFL dream. He'll assuredly walk on in at some point in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Most projections have Forbes being taken in Thursday night's first round. That's easy to see given the total package Forbes is. Really, the only knock on Forbes throughout this process has been his weight.
As for Forbes himself, he doesn't see his weight as an issue at all. Why would he? It's never been one.
"I feel like if teams don't pick me because of my weight, it is a mistake, honestly," Forbes said.
Remember again what happened the last time someone had concerns about Forbes' size and readiness. McBath went ahead and gave Forbes an early chance and the rest is history.
Some NFL team is about to be very lucky that they, too, gave Forbes a chance. It's only a matter of which one.
"I tell [NFL teams] all the time, [I'd have] zero hesitation [picking Forbes]," McBath said. "I wish I could clone him for another few years. He's unbelievable. He's going to make some coach in the NFL very, very happy."
