The success the Washington Commanders experienced in 2024 on the way to a 12-5 regular season and spot in the NFC Championship Game was a surprise, and if you understand how poorly the Commanders fared in the NFL draft in the years leading up to that season, you might even say it was damn near a miracle.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox recently tried to quantify exactly how bad the Commanders have been at picking players since the turn of the century. To do so, he put 2023 1st round pick (No. 16 overall) Emmanuel Forbes on his list of the “Worst Draft Picks of the Century” after the lightweight cornerback lasted less than 2 seasons in D.C.
“The Washington Commanders founded a new regime when they hired coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters in 2024,” Knox wrote. “Their last pick of the previous era was a whopper of a mistake … Forbes lasted less than two full seasons in Washington and was waived in November 2024. He has since reemerged as a capable contributor for the Rams, but Washington passed on players like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jack Campbell and Sam LaPorta to take him.”
Perhaps most damning for the Commanders was the player selected just 1 pick after Forbes — superstar New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Forbes Always Bad Fit for Commanders
For Forbes and the Commanders, the backlash began with questions about his size — 6-foot-1 and 166 pounds — and what might happen when he faced NFL competition.
The answers to that came quick and fast during his rookie season, which encompassed Forbes being benched several times and an embarrassing, Week 4 outing in which Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown torched Forbes for 9 receptions, 175 yards, and 2 touchdowns.
More questions persisted in the 2024 regular season, including missing a month after breaking his thumb in the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Forbes was signed by the Rams just 2 days after he was released by the Commanders.
“Rams claimed former Commanders’ first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes Jr. on waivers, per source,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on December 2.
Forbes became a productive, full-time starter with the Rams in 2025 with 17 starts, 3 interceptions, and a whopping 18 pass deflections.
Commanders Head Coach Shared Message to Forbes
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn shared the message he gave to Forbes when he was released, clarifying that the move came in part largely because the Commanders were about to have to make room on the active roster for cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who they obtained in a trade on November 5, but has been out the previous 5 games with a hamstring injury.
“I had a chance to visit with (Forbes), and I explained to him sometimes that the change of scenery is good, and I’ve seen other players go to other clubs, and it turns out differently, and sometimes that’s a good thing,” Quinn told Riggo’s Rag. “And I said that that can happen with you too. And so, I wanted to make sure he heard that from me, and there was even guys on his own team here that had started somewhere else as a first-round player and all of a sudden, just a different scenery and different shift. The new system can help.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Commanders 1st Rounder Called ‘Worst Draft Pick of the Century’ appeared first on Heavy Sports.