The New England Patriots are looking to get acquainted with the best defensive playmaker in the 2023 NFL Draft for at least the second time this offseason.

The Patriots will host Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes on a visit, he told WCBI’s Jon Sokoloff.

Mississippi State DB Emmanuel Forbes has these team visits coming up:

Eagles
Cowboys
Patriots
Steelers
Lions
Titans
Vikings

He said every team has reached out and at least one other visit is scheduled too.

— Jon Sokoloff (@JonSokoloff) March 28, 2023

Forbes also met with the Patriots at the NFL Scouting Combine.

He’s an intriguing draft prospect, to say the least. At 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, he’d be one of the most slender cornerbacks in the NFL, but he ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash with a freaky 1.49-second 10-yard split, 37.5-inch vertical leap and 10-feet, 11-inch broad jump at the NFL Scouting Combine.

But he also holds the FBS record with six career pick-sixes. He intercepted 14 passes in three seasons with the Bulldogs including six picks in 2022. Forbes, 22, allowed just a 44.7 passer rating last season, per PFF, with seven pass breakups.

Forbes is a projected second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Patriots own the 14th pick in the first round and the 46th overall pick in the second round. They might not be able to wait until the 46th pick to take him.

The Patriots, ideally, would be looking for a cornerback with more bulk since their top players at the position, Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones, Marcus Jones and Myles Bryant, are all on the smaller side. Forbes does have top-tier height for a cornerback, and New England didn’t care about drafting slight cornerbacks last year when they took Jack Jones and Marcus Jones.

Forbes would fill a major need for the Patriots, and he’d bring some elite playmaking skills to an already efficient defense that have up the third-lowest EPA (expected points added) per play last season. Despite his size, Forbes graded out well as a run defender in the SEC last season.