Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes singles out DeVonta Smith as a WR he wants to match up against
Well, that didn’t take long. The Washington Commanders surprisingly took Emmanuel Forbes with the 16th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft and after his arrival to Washington, he partook in an interview that is bound to bring joy to Eagles fans.
Forbes was asked if there was any NFL wideout he was particularly looking forward to matching up against. The premise was there may be a collegiate grudge, or a player he looked up to that would command his attention more than the others. His answer? DeVonta Smith.
Forbes stated that Smitty put up 250 when the two players first locked horns and that he’ll simply be wanting to right those wrongs. That part is true. Smith recorded 4 touchdowns and 203 yards during their clash in 2020, so it’s a totally fair assessment and easy to see why any player would carry an extra chip on their shoulder. But still, DeVonta Smith might not be the player to start chirping with.
The great news is you can actually go back and watch their first collision on YouTube. This All-22 footage shows Smitty carving up the future first-round pick and making it look effortless.
Of course, this game took place during DeVonta Smith’s Heisman year while Forbes was only a true freshman. But let’s not act like Smitty has somewhat softened since being drafted.
DeVonta Smith has evolved into the Slim Reaper since leaving Alabama
In fact, despite having a dominant WR1 alongside him, DeVonta Smith still bested his rookie year and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, putting up 1,196 yards and 7 touchdowns in his second NFL campaign. He’ll get to line up against Emmanuel Forbes twice a season over the next few years which is a matchup that’s bound to see some fireworks.
Forbes himself did go on to carve out a brilliant collegiate career. He has gotten much better since this humbling experience. The ball skills are off the charts, with the Mississippi State product notching 6 picks last year along with 10 passes defensed. It’s going to be very fun to see how the two fare on an NFL field and whether or not the 16th overall pick can invoke revenge on Smitty, or if the Slim Reaper will claim yet another soul at the NFL level.
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