If you’ve been listening to The Team 980 for more than just today, then you know that when a big story happens in DC sports, Craig Hoffman’s monologue is going to be on point!
On Friday, the big news of the day was reaction to the Commanders selecting Emmanuel Forbes at No. 16 overall in the NFL Draft Thursday night – and Craig was jacked about it as he opened his show.
“The Commanders got their guy! It is a really interesting pick, but one they absolutely crushed,” Hoffman said. “This is a pick I thought might happen, but didn’t see coming the way it did. Christian Gonzalez was one of those players that I thought if he was on the board, you run to get the pick in, and that’s what the Pats did at 17; he fits the mold of an NFL corner, and Forbes does not because of that big number: 166 pounds.”
That said, Craig wanted to focus on what Forbes DOES have.
“I think instincts and ability to read a defense are things you just can’t teach; you can help someone’s understanding get better and enhance things with film study, but there is an instinctual nature to playing defensive back where guys make plays you can’t teach on tape,” Hoffman said. “When you have the mental processing speed and spatial recognition Forbes apparently has, it’s not risky because you know the chances of you being wrong are decreased dramatically. He has that, and he finishes, he’s a really fantastic ball catcher, and that’s what this team needs. That’s why for them, it’s the right pick.”
After the selection Martin Mayhew called Forbes “one of my favorite players in the draft,” and Ron Rivera echoed that by making light of the Commanders’ lack of turnovers forced. His SEC pedigree also helped, as he played against more than a dozen quarterbacks or receivers who were selected on Days 1 or 2 of the 2021-22 Drafts, and two SEC quarterbacks have already gone in Round 1 this year with Will Levis still on the board.
Sure, there will be hiccups – “Devonta Smith got him two years ago, but Forbes was a freshman and Smith won the Heisman Trophy,” Craig noted – but he got better as he got older, and can only continue.
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“If he wasn’t 166 ponds, there would be nothing to not like,” Craig said. “He does play long, but when you have 4.3 speed, that’s not a big deal, and as NFL coaches continue to correct his techniques, I expect him to be fine.”
The weight is a question, but that 166 number is dubious and also can only grow, and if you’ve watched Forbes, he doesn’t look the part of that number, either.
“When you flip on the tape, he doesn’t look small on the field,” Craig said. “He’s 6-foot-1, and when you look at the tape, he looks like every other corner – and if it doesn’t show up, that’s good. The one place it does limit him is inside, so he probably can’t play in the slot…but they drafted him to play outside, so who cares?
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