STARKVILLE — For the second straight year Mississippi State football has produced a first round NFL Draft pick.
Emmanuel Forbes Jr., a former MSU cornerback, was selected during Thursday night’s first round by the Washington Commanders with the 16th overall pick, becoming the 16th first round pick in program history and second in back-to-back years, following Charles Cross, who was selected ninth by the Seattle Seahawks in 2022.
Forbes, from Grenada, Mississippi, played three seasons for the Bulldogs, making a name for himself as a turnover machine in the secondary.
In his career, Forbes recorded 14 interceptions and six touchdowns, which is tied for an FBS record. Three came in his 2020 true-freshman season and three last year. He also added 142 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 34 pass deflections, one sack and forced one fumble.
In 2020, Forbes was named an All-Southeastern Conference freshman, and was an Associated Press Second-Team All-America last season.
It didn’t take long for Forbes, who made nine starts as a freshman, to make an impact for the Bulldogs, recording an interception in his collegiate debut against LSU and finishing the year with five interceptions, the most among true freshmen that season.
He followed that up by starting all 13 games for MSU as a sophomore, tallying 60 tackles, and again leading the Bulldogs’ defense with three interceptions and five pass breakups. As a junior, Forbes led the SEC, and finished third in college football, with six interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns.
“Mississippi State developed me as a player, but most importantly they developed me as a person,” Forbes told reporters at Mississippi State’s Pro Day in March. “They taught me to always be humble because kids from Mississippi are always overlooked from other schools, and we just always play with a chip. It taught me to always play with a chip on my shoulder and never take anything for granted.”
Forbes was widely regarded as one of the top cornerback prospects in this year’s Draft class, projecting to go in the first or second rounds in most mock drafts leading into Thursday night. The main knock against him was his size, checking in at 6-foot-1, 166 pounds at the combine.
Ultimately, only one other cornerback was selected before him.
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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