Commanders make surprising draft pick at No. 16

They took a cornerback at No. 16.

The Commanders? Yes.

Oh, who did they get, Christian Gonzalez? No.

But actually, the very next team on the clock the New England Patriots did select Gonzalez.

Oh, so they took Deonte Banks from Maryland! Nope, not Banks.

Oh, of course, it must have been Joey Porter Jr, the Commanders selected at No. 16. No, not Porter either.

The Commanders surprised everyone; with Gonzalez, Banks and Porter still available, they chose Mississippi State corner Emmanuel Forbes, all 166 pounds of him.

Head coach Ron Rivera came over and talked with Julie Donaldson, Logan Paulsen and Brian Mitchell just moments following the selection of Forbes.

Rivera spoke of Forbes’ ability to create turnovers. He said last year though the defense was better, they lacked takeaways, and they felt Forbes could really help in that area.

When asked about Forbes’ lack of size (166 pounds) Rivera responded  Forbes played in the tough SEC, and did not miss games, so they really feel good about selecting Forbes.

Rivera mentioned they interviewed Forbes at the NFL combine, he was one of their 30 visits, and they also Zoom interviewed him as well.

“He (Forbes) will come in and compete and help us and our team as we go forward,” said an optimistic Rivera. “With his ball skills, he has the ability to make plays.”

“He has good spatial awareness; he understands where he is on the field and then also recognizes where people are coming from. You see it when you put the tape on and watch him attack the ball, get his hands on the ball, make the interception. Those are all things we see as pluses and can work with.”

Rivera closed saying he wanted to express thanks to the personnel department, saying the college scouts had done an excellent job.

Story originally appeared on Commanders Wire