Jaylan Ford
| No. 53 – New Orleans Saints | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | November 28, 2001[1] Frisco, Texas, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Lone Star (Frisco, Texas) | ||||
| College: | Texas (2020–2023) | ||||
| NFL draft: | 2024 / round: 5 / pick: 175 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| |||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024 | |||||
| |||||
Jaylan Ford (born November 28, 2001) is an American professional football linebacker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns.
Early life
[edit]Ford attended Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas, where he was the District 5-5A-I Defensive MVP as a junior.[2] A three star prospect, Ford originally committed to play college football for Utah before flipping his commitment to Texas.[2][3]
College career
[edit]After being a role player his first two seasons, Ford emerged as a key contributor for the Longhorns in 2022.[4][5][6] On October 15, 2022, Ford recorded 8 tackles and two forced turnovers in a 24-21 win over Iowa State and was named the Big 12 defensive player of the week.[6][7] Ford finished the season with 119 tackles, the second most of any player in the Big 12.[8] At the conclusion of the season he was named a member of the All Big-12 first team, and 3rd Team All-American by the associated press. [9] Ford would return for his senior season, once again earning All Big-12 first team honors.[10]
College statistics
[edit]| Season | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Cmb | TfL | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF | ||
| 2020 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 12 | 29 | 24 | 53 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 13 | 61 | 58 | 119 | 10.0 | 2.0 | 4 | 48 | 12.0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2023 | 13 | 40 | 51 | 91 | 10.5 | 1.0 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | 48 | 135 | 142 | 277 | 27.5 | 3.0 | 6 | 53 | 8.8 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Source:[11] | |||||||||||||||
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+3⁄8 in (1.89 m) |
240 lb (109 kg) |
31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.72 s | 1.66 s | 2.65 s | 4.24 s | 7.09 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) |
10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
18 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[12][13] | ||||||||||||
Ford was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 5th round (175th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Jaylan Ford, Linebacker, Texas Longhorns". si.com. April 25, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "Jaylan Ford, Texas Longhorns, Linebacker". 247Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ Briseno, Alex (December 19, 2019). "Frisco Lone Star's Jaylan Ford flips from Utah commitment, signs with Texas". Dallas News. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ Davis, Danny (October 7, 2022). "While chasing Derrick Johnson's greatness, Texas' Jaylan Ford steps up on defense". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ Daniel, Cody (September 21, 2022). "LB Jaylan Ford emerging as a force for the Texas defense". Burnt Orange Nation. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Jordan (October 15, 2022). "Jaylan Ford comes up big, forces two turnovers in Texas' 24-21 win over Iowa State". The Daily Texan. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ "Texas LB Jaylan Ford named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week". Longhorns Wire. October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Football - Overall Statistics". big12sports.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- ^ Cook, Joe (July 5, 2023). "Jaylan Ford named Big 12 preseason defensive player of the year". On3. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ Thompson, Cole (November 29, 2023). "Seven Longhorns Named To First-Team All-Big 12 Roster". Sports Illustrated Texas Longhorns News, Analysis and More. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
- ^ "Jaylan Ford". Texas Sports. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
- ^ "Jaylan Ford Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Jaylan Ford College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ Sanders, Dylan (April 27, 2024). "2024 NFL Draft Grades: Saints pick Texas LB Jaylan Ford at No. 175". Saints Wire. USA Today. Retrieved June 30, 2024.