Darcel McBath was Emmanuel Forbes' cornerbacks coach at Mississippi State, so if anyone knows more about how he plays or how Forbes will fit in DC, they'd likely have to be related to Emmanuel himself.
McBath was an elite corner at Texas Tech in his day, leading the nation in interceptions in 2008, and he spent five years in the NFL after being drafted by Denver in 2009 – but as he joked when he joined Grant & Danny Friday, the guy he coached that's now heading to the NFL has one up on him.
"I gotta give it to E, man. He's really truly a special kid and a special player…but I hit harder!" McBath laughed.
The biggest question many have had about Forbes is his size, but McBath assured G&D that it's not the size of the dog in the fight, so to speak.
"He played in the SEC for three seasons and never missed a game due to injury. He's durable and tough – that 165 pounds is all muscle, and he's built the right way," McBath said. "He takes care of his body, and he's savvy. He figures out ways to work around it. People have tried to attack him since he was a freshman, but he always found a way to get through and make tackles."
So what kind of player, and person, are the Commanders getting?
"He's unbelievable," McBath said. "Great instincts and ball skills, but above the neck, he is far and away one of the best players I've ever been around. Recalling things, the way he recognizes formations and prepares to play the game – that shows up, and will separate him at the next level. And he's a great kid with a bright personality, he has a charisma and is unbelievable in the community. He'll work his tail off to find success, and do it the right way."
Forbes grew "a ton" over three years in Starkville, and while he could've been on a tough path as a freshman during the COVID-affected 2020 season, "he matured on and off the field" throughout his tenure and everything was "second nature" by the time his college career ended.
Still, if you ask McBath, there's still a lot to work on for a guy who is strong in many aspects.
"I think he needs to work on everything," McBath laughed. "I always tell them to keep sharpening their tools; he has a lot of great tools and is far and away better than a lot of guys at a lot of things, but you have to keep working at everything. I don't see a weakness in his game, but he has such a high ceiling, he can keep getting better."
And as for his reputation from at least one front office as a "gambler" who takes chances to make plays?
"I think when you prepare for games the way he does, people call it gambling, but it's just understanding what may come," McBath said. "He's not going into a game uneducated at what he's seeing and just trying to make plays; he makes educated choices. I think there's a big difference; I've played with guys who are gamblers, but he does it in the right way by understanding what's coming."
McBath knew he was going to lose Forbes somewhere this weekend, and he had one last piece of coaching advice for the CB as someone who went through the process in the past.
"Stay true to yourself, and anything that's negative, make it a positive," he said. "The thing is, leading up to the Draft, they're gonna look for any reason not to take you, so don't take anything personal. Know there are things you can get better at, and face those and get better at those, and take things in stride."
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