While hindsight is 20-20, it's tough to draw any concrete conclusions on players just one year into their NFL career unless they turn in a season similar to the one Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had last season.
In a 2023 NFL Redraft, Bleacher Report had the Washington Commanders going with a different cornerback as opposed to their original pick of Emmanuel Forbes, as they took Christian Gonzalez with the No. 16 overall pick. Gonzalez went with the very next pick to the New England Patriots.
"While it's too early to say Emmanuel Forbes is a bust, he will not enjoy the memory of his rookie year," Bleacher Report writes. "He surrendered 9.8 yards per target and lost his starting job within two weeks. Christian Gonzalez, on the other hand, jumped out to an excellent start in September before a shoulder injury ended his promising season."
It may be too early to call Forbes a bust, but it's not too early to worry about him. After a promising start, Forbes struggled mightily down the stretch and got benched around the midway point of the season. He started in six of the 14 games he played in and allowed 37 catches for 598 yards and three touchdowns.
Forbes also had one interception and 11 passes defense in his rookie season.
Gonzalez was viewed as a better prospect than Forbes heading into last year's draft, so the Oregon product getting picked by Washington in a redraft isn't surprising. Gonzalez looked the part through four games before a shoulder injury cut his rookie season short. He had an interception and three passes defended by 17 tackles, one sack, one tackles for loss and one quarterback hit.
Giving up on Forbes after one season would be premature, though it'll be interesting to see how he'll fit in a new regime once the Commanders hire their next head coach. If Forbes continues to struggle and Gonzalez thrives in New England, this pick will continue to be revisited.
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