Well maybe that's the problem. He practiced it so much that he tried to run it in his sleep.
Paris Ford
- Thread starter JokePa
- Start date
Well maybe that's the problem. He practiced it so much that he tried to run it in his sleep.
It would be a better excuse than he slipped... twice, or he got a late start. Frankly, not being prepared is worse than being slow.
I think this unfortunately is probably close to the truth. I can't believe he isn't better than a 4.9 in the 40 had he put his whole heart into it these past 5 months. Who knows, not for us to judge him. Happy he chose Pitt and hope he makes a big name for himself in the league.
We are all judging him. That’s how life works. With humans comes opinions.
We are all judging him. That’s how life works. With humans comes opinions.
true, this is an anonymous message board after all.
You judge all day about all kinds of things.
However, there is a point at where being critical becomes overly critical.
I'm not an analyst, I'm a fan and I just report my thoughts based on my own observations of players in game situations. I'm not always right, nobody is, but I'll trust my own eyes. When I watched Pitt play the last couple of years, I saw Ford as a better athlete than Hamlin or Pinnock. He was all over the field flying around everywhere the ball was. I watched him easily run down and close on players who ran far better 40 times than Ford's pro day times, Bryce Perkins comes to mind. I Hamlin and Pinnock were solid, smart, fundamentally sound, but I can;t remember ever seeing either of them catch a fast player from behind, and with Pinnock in particular I watched him get beat one on one on the outside numerous times. I think anyone with functioning eyeballs saw it the same way until Ford's disastrous pro day workout. If Ford had put in the work and developed the fundamentals that Hamlin and Pinnock did, I'm sure he would have been seen as a better prospect than they were, as he was certainly seen as the best athlete and football player of those three until pro day. A lot of people in the NFL talent evaluation industry apparently saw these players just about exactly the same way I did before Ford's pro day debacle. Anyone know what the "rumors that Ford failed to prepare for some of the pro day drills" are all about?
Jason Pinnock Scouting Report
Positives: Nice-sized cornerback with an underrated game. Quick-footed in reverse, flips his hips in transition and plays heads-up football. Mixes it up with receivers throughout the route, positions himself to make plays on the pass, and possesses good ball skills. Physical, uses his hands to get off blocks and gives effort defending the run.Negatives: Play speed is a major concern. Cannot recover. Lacks great closing burst.
Analysis: Pinnock is a hard-working cornerback with terrific ball skills and a feel for the position. He rarely plays to his 40 time and speed will be an issue, but Pinnock can line up in dime packages for a zone scheme.
When looking at the tape Pinnock has put together over the past few seasons, his skill set will make it difficult for him to stick at the next level. Pinnock has good size and length that makes him more of a fit in a Cover 3 scheme. He will look good coming off the bus for a cornerback, but the rest of his game was lacking. Pinnock doesn’t have the speed to stay with wideouts on the outside. He was consistently beat and had to rely on his length to try and prevent big plays through the air. When he gets to the next level, that speed will become a significant concern. Pinnock also has stiff hips that make it harder for him to change direction. He is simply on the slower side. For a bigger guy, Pinnock also wasn’t that impressive a tackler.
Damar Hamlin Scouting Report
Positives: Nice-sized safety with great instincts and feel for the game. Plays smart football, takes proper angles to the action, and remains disciplined with assignments. Works well with cornerbacks to bracket receivers over the middle of the field, uses his frame to box out receivers in coverage, and works to make plays on the ball.Breaks down well, effectively uses his hands to get off blocks, and doesn’t make mental errors. Stays on the receiver’s hip out of breaks, locates the pass in the air, and possesses terrific ball skills. Outstanding run defender.
Negatives: Lacks an explosive burst to the ball out of his plant and is usually a half-step late in coverage. Comes with average play speed, which poses limitations.
Analysis: Hamlin grades highly from the point of view of instincts and playing ability, but he’s an average athlete who does not show much speed on the field. Though he has limitations, he’s worth a Day 3 pick and should flourish in a zone system that doesn’t put him in man-coverage situations at the next level.
Has size and length but is missing the speed to handle man coverage down the field. He plays with good instincts and awareness when allowed to play with his eyes forward from off coverage and has adequate ball skills and solid ball production. He might have some man cover potential on tight ends but is more consistent from short zone and can be mismatched in space if asked to play deep. He's an aggressive, willing tackler in run support but he can often be found flying in too hot when filling downhill or missing the mark as an open-field tackler. There are traits and ball production to work with, which could make him a future backup.
Weaknesses
- Missed time due to injury in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
- Vertical speed will rush by him.
- Modest burst to chase the route.
- Panics when his back is to the ball.
- Gets turned around tracking deep routes.
- Flies downhill way too hot as a tackler.
- Will default to risky leg dives at off angles.
- Indecisive with sticky feet as open-field tackler.
Paris Ford Scouting Report
Positives: Forceful safety who displays terrific range in center field and comes with a large upside. Physical, always looks to get involved and attacks opponents. Quick and fluid pedaling in reverse, easily moves about the field and goes sideline to sideline. Possesses an outstanding closing burst of speed and flashes on the scene. A vicious run defender who drives his shoulders through ball handlers and brings them down at the point of attack.Analysis: Ford made it known he was a playmaker who would lay the wood. Throughout the rest of the season, Ford would continue to have great games. Against Miami, Ford registered a career-high four pass deflections. Even in a 28-0 loss for Pitt in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech, Ford’s speed and big hits made him known around the country. After a fantastic 12 tackle game against Eastern Michigan in the Quick Lane Bowl, Ford positioned himself to be a top-100 NFL Draft pick possibly.Ford possesses the size and football skills to be used as a strong or free safety, but he must improve his instincts and play smart football on every snap.
Athletically, Ford is smooth and explosive. When he is able to unhinge and transition laterally, he shows notable range, covering a substantial amount of ground. For as athletic as he is, Ford doesn’t make much of an impact in zone, appearing to lack the instincts to diagnose quickly enough. He can be over-aggressive at times, easily manipulated by quarterbacks, taking him out of position. When working in the slot, Ford has enough short-area quickness to survive in man, but gets caught looking in the backfield, getting flat-footed far too often. His over-aggressiveness also leads to some missed tackles near the line of scrimmage. Ford is a coach's dream, playing with outstanding effort and reckless abandon. His impact on passing downs, however, leaves more questions than answers. His instincts are the major downfall that could prevent him from carving out a starter niche early in his career.
After Pitt Pro Day:
Negatives: Does not consistently take proper angles to the action. Does not correctly time his pass defenses. Overcommits to plays and gets caught out of position. Tested horribly during pro day workouts, showing little in the way of athleticism or long speed.
He comes with upside but will need time and proper coaching to develop his game. His pro day numbers will drop him at least three rounds in the draft. The NFL Combine was viewed as a potential make or break for Paris Ford’s 2021 NFL Draft stock. With the cancellation of the combine, the opportunity to prove his athletic prowess came at the Pitt Pro Day. Unfortunately for Ford, he posted some distinctly average-poor numbers that raise some serious questions about his stock. Furthermore, rumors that he had failed to prepare for some of the drills will throw up red flags during the process.
My gut tells me that he is a steal as a FA. He looked like he was preserving himself last season and wasn't all in (I only saw 2-3 games). Before last season, he was elite vs elite competition and seemed to have that special gear and instinct that is tough to measure.
Ford was a heat seeking missile in that secondary. He jumped off the page. He was explosive and had a burst. Hamlin and Pinnock were very solid, but their contributions were not nearly as conspicuous as Ford's. Part of that is obviously Ford's role as the downhill in the box guy in the secondary, but he was extremely dynamic in that role.
This is why I love grinders like Morrissey. Not even as scholarship coming out of high school and went to work.
Ford had the hype and the talent, but didn’t keep it together. Morrissey passed up Ford in the draft. Unthinkable only a few years ago. I always root for the grinders that never give up.
Ford had the hype and the talent, but didn’t keep it together. Morrissey passed up Ford in the draft. Unthinkable only a few years ago. I always root for the grinders that never give up.
Ford had to be lazy and didn't work at his craft. There is no way he ran a 4.8 in high school and garnered all those offers from some of the best P5 Universities out there. He was dynamite in high school, it is just so perplexing how he could run a 4.8 or 4.9 forty on pro day. Even at Pitt, it was never obvious that he was really that slow. It is clear he wasn't willing to work for what he wanted, he just expected success based on his past and it just doesn't work like that.
Agree but at the same time I never watched him and thought 4.8/4.9. I thought more like 4.7
He never struck me as lazy at all! If anything, he seemed to struggle to make the step up, when he came to Pitt. He went from being super human to having to fight through some struggles. Maybe the same happened in the pros. Maybe if he gets a practice squad spot, he can adjust and fight his way in.
I can't believe Paris Ford and Ramon Walker have less NFL games than that walk-on Verone (can't even remember how his name was spelled?).
I can't believe Paris Ford and Ramon Walker have less NFL games than that walk-on Verone (can't even remember how his name was spelled?).
Probably shouldn’t mention Ford in the same sentence as Ramon Walker. Walker played almost 40 games in the NFL and had a few good moments, Ford will almost certainly never play a down in the league.
Ventrone ran 4.48 and was a special teams grinder. Ford was never at Walker's level on the field. Ramon was a sledgehammer and a tackling machine.
