New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: CB Emmanuel Forbes

Here's a look at a cornerback prospect that could have "Giants" written all over him.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Apr 6, 2023 8:00 AM EDT

In this story:

New York Giants

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Emmanuel Forbes, CB

Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 166 lbs.
Class: Junior
School: Mississippi State
Age: 22 (01/13/2001)

Combine Measurements

Arm length: 32 ¼”
Hand size:8 ½”
40-yard-dash: 4:35
10-yard-split: 1.48
Vertical jump: 37½”
Broad jump: 10’11”

Former four-star recruit out of Grenada High School in Grenada, Mississippi, where he was the 13th overall CB and the second Mississippi recruit during the 2020 cycle. He played wide receiver in high school and also played basketball and baseball. He has ten siblings.

Notables

A pick-six magnet at Mississippi State -- he had six throughout his career with 14 interceptions and 20 passes defended. [STATS]

Forbes made an immediate impact for Mississippi State as a freshman in 2020. He played over 700 snaps in three consecutive seasons for the Bulldogs, with a combined 57.6% catch rate.

He was a Second-Team All-American in 2022, a Freshman All-SEC selection in 2020, and was Second-Team All-SEC in 2021. He played man and zone coverage for Mississippi State and had good man coverage tape against Alabama’s Jameson Williams in 2021.

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Strengths

Excellent length and good height
Utilizes his length very well at the catch point
Excellent athlete with good body control for a high-cut cornerback
Has light feet and good burst to the catch point from off coverage

Quick to shoot downhill

Long strides assist his excellent speed; does well changing direction and moving laterally for a high cut player
Transitions are sufficient and impressive for a player of his frame/build
Firm two-hand jam in press with solid foot work and patience
More physical at the LOS with his jam than I would have originally imagined for a 166-pound CB
Elite man coverage skills on the vertical plane
Stays in the pocket of WRs on verts and uses the sideline to his advantage - good technique
Good man coverage cornerback on horizontal breaking routes
Excellent zone cornerback with solid eyes and good understanding of routes, albeit he can get aggressive from off, which got him in trouble
Will make QBs pay for being late - does a great job coming off his assignment to assist teammates
Is aggressive and can be baited, but that’s the gamble and one reason why he has six career pick-sixs
Length allows him to recover well in trail, in underneath high-low zones, and if he is beat vertically/horizontally
Elite ball skills and catch point disruption ability - good technique, drove through opponents -- elite ability to locate and high point the football
Soft receiver like hands
Will go low when tackling - a willing tackler
Aggressively plays screens - attacks stalk blockers with pop or avoids contact to blow the play up
Coverage versatility; played man and zone with different techniques

Smoothly positioned himself in desired techniques at the LOS
Maintained good overall leverage from off-coverage in quarters

Insane return ability shown on interceptions

Weaknesses

Rail thin player -- high hips
Play strength questions are fair, albeit he has more pop in his jam than one would imagine
Holding up against bigger WRs could give him issues early on
Reactive in press -- not necessarily anticipatory with jam
Aggressive in zone -- can be baited

Toasted on double move for a touchdown vs. Memphis

Is good in man coverage but had a few slips in tight transitions (Ole Miss x2, Arizona Q3, 3:33, 2nd & 10)
In man coverage as outside leveraged defender, quicker WRs won on outside breaks. When he was tight in the hip pocket of WRs (which was frequent), very quick cuts on the horizontal plane on pivots, inward leaning stems that break out, etc., left him more susceptible than any other route - the high nature of his hips prevents elite transitions and elite deceleration; however, his smooth nature for a player of his frame is still impressive
Willing tackler but a wild one who needs forward momentum to drive players to the ground
Play strength as a tackler is an issue
Played the majority of his snaps outside on the right

Summary

Emmanual Forbes has the most pick sixes in FBS history - wow! Forbes is a ball-hawk with length and coverage versatility. His size at 166 pounds is concerning, and he is in the zero percentile for weight at the position; still, the 22-year-old offers immense upside for a player with experience handling many different coverages and techniques at the LOS.

The Giants run a man-heavy pressure system that relies on cornerbacks winning outside. Forbes is the type of CB who can win outside, play tight man coverage, and take advantage of hustled throws because of his length, aggressive nature, and natural ball skills. I was surprised by how fluid Forbes was with his frame; his transitions aren’t always perfect on the horizontal plane, especially when tight in the hip pocket, but they were sufficient.

He’s not the strongest in run support or while tackling, but it’s not due to a lack of desire. Forbes is an elite competitor who comported himself well, playing against some of the top players in the SEC. I understand the weight concerns, but the NFL is transitioning to smaller - quicker - types of athletes. Is it still a concern? Sure, but it’s not nearly as big of an issue as it would have been ten years ago.

Creating turnovers is the most important part of playing defense, and Forbes was elite in this manner throughout his three seasons at Mississippi State. Despite his outlier weight, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Forbes go in the back end of the first round. He should be a target for the Giants at pick 25.

GRADE: 6.41