ASHBURN — The Washington Commanders drafted former Illinois safety Quan Martin with the 47th overall pick Friday, adding another defensive back after selecting corner Emmanuel Forbes in Round 1.
Martin is an experienced safety who played five seasons at Illinois. The 23-year-old played both as a single-high safety and in the box. With the Commanders, Martin could potentially be an option to be the team’s primary slot cornerback after Washington released safety Bobby McCain in the offseason.
The Athletic described Martin — who is 5-foot-11 and 194 pounds — as an “outstanding athlete with cover skills” but one who needs to become a better finisher.
Martin recorded 222 tackles and seven interceptions with the Illini.
A day earlier, the Commanders selected Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes at No. 16. Forbes, a ball-hawking defender who grabbed 14 interceptions in college, played exclusively as an outside corner with the Bulldogs.
Forbes and Martin are additions to a secondary that helped Washington allow the third-fewest yards per game and the fourth-fewest passing yards per game last season. Despite its success in limiting yards, Washington’s defense failed to produce many turnover-worthy plays as the unit ranked 28th in interceptions with nine.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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