We now know one more name on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ pre-draft visitor list. Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes has an upcoming visit with the Steelers, according to WCBI’s Jon Sokoloff, a local reporter. Pittsburgh is one of several teams on Forbes’ calendar next month.
Forbes has one of the most interesting body types in the draft. He has height and length at nearly 6’1 with 32 1/4 inch arms, pairing that with a blazing 4.35 40 time. But at the NFL Combine he weighed in at 166 pounds, an incredibly light weight for someone of his height. It’s the lightest weigh-in for a defensive player at the Combine since at least 2000. There was slight improvement at today’s Pro Day with Forbes coming in at 170 pounds, though it’s still clearly underweight compared to virtually every other corner in football.
Despite that, his Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is a healthy 9.26 thanks to his great testing. And a lack of weight didn’t hinder him in the SEC. He proved to be durable and available and productive. A ball-hawk, he picked off 14 career passes, including a season-best six in 2022. Pittsburgh is looking for ballhawks, tying for the NFL lead in interceptions last year, and Forbes fits that bill.
In our pre-draft profile, we noted Forbes’ range and awareness but knocked him for aiming too low as a tackler and missing more than he should. Ultimately, we placed a second-round grade on him. He’s expected to hear his name either late in the first round or more likely, early on Day Two. He’s most-likely a Steelers option at #32 or #49 if he slips a bit in a CB-heavy class. Pittsburgh is expected to target a cornerback somewhere within its top three picks. Maryland’s Deonte Banks, Georgia’s Kelee Ringo, and Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. are viewed as other plausible options within their top two picks.
So far, we know eight players scheduled for “Top 30” visits with the Steelers. Click here to check out the rest of the list.
Check out our full report on Forbes below.
