Jerome Ford Scouting Report: 2022 NFL Draft Prospect Report

 

Cincinnati Bearcats, Running Back #24

 

Measurements

5’11” / 220 Lbs.

40 Time: 4.4 seconds (estimate)

 

Jerome Ford NFL Draft Player Profile

 

Jerome Ford is a former 4-star recruit out of Armswood High School in Tampa, Florida. During his time at Armswood, Ford played football, soccer, and track & field. When looking at his production while he was in high school, I was a little surprised with the limited snaps he receieved. Throughout his entire high school career, Ford only had 84 carries for 585 yards and 4 touchdowns.

However, he was an outstanding receiving back. In his senior season alone, he had 42 receptions for 827 yards and 8 touchdowns. According to 247sports, these stats were good enough to rank him as the 12th all-purpose back in the nation. After receiving 22 total offers, Ford decided to take his talent to Alabama to develop under Coach Saban.

After two full unproductive seasons at Alabama, Ford decided it was best to enter his name in the transfer portal. This eventually led him to transferring to the University of Cincinnati, who had offered him out of high school. Ever since he stepped foot on a football field in Cincinnati, he has been nothing short of impressive. In 2020 Ford was forced to sit behind former Cincinnati star running back Gerrid Doaks, who was drafted in 2021. Although Ford was primarily a feature back, he made the most of his snaps. In 2020, Ford only ran the ball 73 times for 483 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns.

Now it is time to discuss his production in this last season. During the 2021 season, Ford showed that he has potential to be a starting running back in a few years. In this season, he had 215 rushing attempts for 1,319 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also had 21 receptions for 220 yards and a touchdown.

 

Jerome Ford Strengths

 

Versatility

 

Cincinnati Running Back Jerome Ford

Cincinnati Running Back Jerome Ford

Out of all the running backs in this 2022 NFL Draft Class, I think that Ford is easily one of the most versatile. As I briefly noted in his player profile, Ford does a good job of punishing the defense regardless of the play call. If you want to watch a game where he perfectly puts this on display, I recommend watching the 2021 AAC Championship against Houston. According to ESPN, in this game he ran for 187 yards and had 17 receiving yards. Although having 17 receiving yards is not that impressive, he was able to keep the defense of their toes all game. Personally, I think that Ford will be able to carry this over into the NFL and have a solid career. I think that this is the case because if you look at many of the top running backs in the NFL, they are versatile as well. A perfect example of this is Alvin Kamara, and honestly, Ford reminds me a lot of Kamara.

 

Downhill Speed

When watching Ford’s film, I couldn’t help but notice how fast he is when he has a straight line for the end zone. He also put this on display in the AAC Championship game last season. In this game, Ford had a touchdown run for 79 yards and was able to blow passed the entire defense. This kind of downhill speed reminds me of Jonathan Taylor when he was at Wisconsin. Having a running back who can create lots of separation in the open field is very helpful to any offense. This is the case because if the offensive line can give Ford a lane, he can handle the rest. He does not have to rely on the receivers to get up the field and block for him. I am looking forward to seeing how Ford tests at the Combine because of his history of running track.

 

Blocking

When you play for Cincinnati under Luke Fickell, you must be able to do a little bit of everything. This includes putting your body on the line to protect your star quarterback. In my opinion, Ford has the perfect size and frame to get every job done in the NFL. During his time at Cincinnati, we saw that Fickell loved to call lots of play-action plays. This kept many defenses on their toes because if Ford had the ball, you better close down on him quickly. Meanwhile, if Ridder had the ball you knew Ford was going to be his lead blocker. Having a running back who is willing to be physical throughout an entire game is a huge game changer. Personally, I think that Ford would be a good fit for a team who has a mobile QB for this reason.

 

Jerome Ford Weaknesses

 

Elusiveness

 

Cincinnati Running Back Jerome Ford

Cincinnati Running Back Jerome Ford

Ford has fantastic straight-line speed but unfortunately, he is not as elusive as I would like him to be. When the defense starts to close in on him, he doesn’t have much elusiveness to get him out of trouble. Although this won’t hurt his chances of being successful in the NFL, it limits his ceiling compared to what it could be. If Ford is able to develop some elusiveness before becoming an every down back, he will be better off. This is the case because in the NFL, you have to work with the space that you are given. If Ford is not able to create his own space, it will limit his potential.

 

Jerome Ford Draft Stock

Ford is a fantastic talent and arguably one of the most versatile backs in the draft. But, I should mention that he has some finetuning to do before he can be considered a top running back in this class. As of right now, I can see Ford going as early as the mid-fourth round. But, if he tests well at the combine he could go as early as the late third round.

 

Final Thoughts on Jerome Ford Scouting Report

Ford is a very talented running back and has an extremely high ceiling. But, in order for him to reach that ceiling, he has some work to do. As I noted earlier, he has amazing downhill speed, but lacks the elusiveness to go along with that. In order for him to fulfill his potential, he should stop relying on his power so much and focus on being as versatile as possible.

 

Jerome Ford Player Comparison

Ford reminds me a lot of former Tar Heels running back Javonte Williams, who we loved last draft season. He reminds me of Williams in both running style and his physical measurements.

Jerome Ford Scouting Report Analyst-Matthew Lewis.