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2021 Draft Profile: Pittsburgh’s Paris Ford

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Leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft starting on April 29th, we will be releasing several draft profiles of prospects who could potentially see themselves on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next up…



Paris Ford (Safety), University of Pittsburgh, Redshirt Junior




OVERVIEW:

A familiar name to the UMPC Rooney Sports Complex and the entire Pittsburgh football community, Ford is one of the deeper, more intriguing prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft. Standing about 6 feet tall and weighing roughly 190 pounds, Ford is one of the hardest hitting, charismatic options available at the safety position this year. In a position where the Steelers need reliable depth on defense, Ford is a great hometown player who can provide this. During his time at Pitt, Ford played in 23 games. In those 23 games, he racked up over 90 solo tackles, 6 interceptions, 3 fumbles, and even a defensive touchdown. Needless to say, Ford manages to find his way to the ball on almost every snap.

PROS:

Ford is a speedy, instinctual ball hawk. He seems to fly around the field and has a great eye for the ball. He is not afraid to collapse on the line of scrimmage to stop the run, or fall back to defend the deep ball. Ford did show some uncertainty in 2019 in defending the deep ball, but he worked hard to relieve those concerns in 2020 and showed great improvement in that area. Ford has projected 4.4 second 40-yard speed, and this is critical in a true sideline-to-sideline NFL safety. Ford is known to be incredibly aggressive in his play style, and this is evident in his tackles for loss (3.5 in 2020) and forced fumbles. In conversations around the Pittsburgh sports community, fair equivalents to Ford would be Ryan Clark or Mike Mitchell. Although Ford only weighs 190 pounds, he plays far above that.

CONS:

Aggressiveness can be a double-edged sword. Ironically enough, a main deterrent of Ford’s is exactly that. There have been multiple occurrences where Ford was overly aggressive and could not make up for lost ground. Being aggressive and pre-determined on defense may work in the NCAA, but it is an easy way to get exposed as a defensive player in the NFL (not to mention special teams). In that same conversation, his tackling technique is one that will need to be developed to cater to the “unnecessary-roughness-happy” NFL. Like we have seen with (Ryan) Clark, Ford looks to punish his opponents with every hit. I am not saying this is a bad thing, but there is a fine line in today’s NFL of being a “hard hitter” and being a liability with dumb penalties in crucial parts of the game.

VERDICT:

There is no doubt the Steelers could use young, deep, exciting talent at safety. As we draw closer to April, Ford is moving higher and higher on a lot of teams’ radars, which is well deserved. I am not saying Ford is a first rounder, but should he drop in the Steelers’ lap in rounds 2, 3, or 4, I do not see why they wouldn’t keep a hometown Pittsburgh favorite playing at Heinz Field.




Where do you see Paris Ford going in April? Let us know in the comment section below!

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