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Cody Ford (OT/OG)


N.Y. Orangeman

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Cody Ford is an enigma. He's got a few building blocks that would make up an All-Pro RT. Most obviously, his ungodly strength. For his size, he's got really impressive depth to his kick slide and foot speed. He can mirror rushers very well and he's smart enough to ID blitzes pre-snap and pick up late rushers. Despite looking like literally every chunky Utah power scheme guard for the last decade, the dude can pull across formation better than anticipated. He's got at least a requisite amount of athletic ability on the move.

 

On the negative side, I just want to say a giant ***** you to the Oklahoma Sooners. That stance does Ford absolutely zero favours and makes a 6'4" guy play like he's 6' 7". It was bad enough when they made Charles Tapper play in that god-awful frog stance a few years ago. Stop ruining my football enjoyment, Sooners. Rant over (for now).

 

The stance does play into some of my misgivings about Ford though. As powerful as he is, he's a really inconsistent drive blocker because his pad level is too high far too often. When he gets it right, he's like Michael Oher in The Blind Side; an absolute behemoth.

 

The other major issue that I have with Ford is that, despite his feet and kick slide being at an NFL baseline, his hands are often either shooting outside or far too late to the party. I think speed rushers won't be a huge issue for him but true technicians (such as the in-division Trey Flowers) might cause him trouble early as he can expose his chest. Because of the hands issue, I think the NFL should forget about drafting him as a guard as it'll only exacerbate the problem.

 

At the moment, as he currently is, I don't see a 1st round player (let alone a top 10 pick). Gambling on potential with OL is always a tricky game but it's hard to say no to the idea of drafting him. Having only started 21 games, he might only be scratching the surface of his ability. If you can iron out the flaws, he could be a star.

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59 minutes ago, Blokestradamus said:

Cody Ford is an enigma. He's got a few building blocks that would make up an All-Pro RT. Most obviously, his ungodly strength. For his size, he's got really impressive depth to his kick slide and foot speed. He can mirror rushers very well and he's smart enough to ID blitzes pre-snap and pick up late rushers. Despite looking like literally every chunky Utah power scheme guard for the last decade, the dude can pull across formation better than anticipated. He's got at least a requisite amount of athletic ability on the move.

 

On the negative side, I just want to say a giant ***** you to the Oklahoma Sooners. That stance does Ford absolutely zero favours and makes a 6'4" guy play like he's 6' 7". It was bad enough when they made Charles Tapper play in that god-awful frog stance a few years ago. Stop ruining my football enjoyment, Sooners. Rant over (for now).

 

The stance does play into some of my misgivings about Ford though. As powerful as he is, he's a really inconsistent drive blocker because his pad level is too high far too often. When he gets it right, he's like Michael Oher in The Blind Side; an absolute behemoth.

 

The other major issue that I have with Ford is that, despite his feet and kick slide being at an NFL baseline, his hands are often either shooting outside or far too late to the party. I think speed rushers won't be a huge issue for him but true technicians (such as the in-division Trey Flowers) might cause him trouble early as he can expose his chest. Because of the hands issue, I think the NFL should forget about drafting him as a guard as it'll only exacerbate the problem.

 

At the moment, as he currently is, I don't see a 1st round player (let alone a top 10 pick). Gambling on potential with OL is always a tricky game but it's hard to say no to the idea of drafting him. Having only started 21 games, he might only be scratching the surface of his ability. If you can iron out the flaws, he could be a star.

Very interesting post. I have the Bama game on tape and will watch him.

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3 hours ago, Blokestradamus said:

Cody Ford is an enigma. He's got a few building blocks that would make up an All-Pro RT. Most obviously, his ungodly strength. For his size, he's got really impressive depth to his kick slide and foot speed. He can mirror rushers very well and he's smart enough to ID blitzes pre-snap and pick up late rushers. Despite looking like literally every chunky Utah power scheme guard for the last decade, the dude can pull across formation better than anticipated. He's got at least a requisite amount of athletic ability on the move.

 

On the negative side, I just want to say a giant ***** you to the Oklahoma Sooners. That stance does Ford absolutely zero favours and makes a 6'4" guy play like he's 6' 7". It was bad enough when they made Charles Tapper play in that god-awful frog stance a few years ago. Stop ruining my football enjoyment, Sooners. Rant over (for now).

 

The stance does play into some of my misgivings about Ford though. As powerful as he is, he's a really inconsistent drive blocker because his pad level is too high far too often. When he gets it right, he's like Michael Oher in The Blind Side; an absolute behemoth.

 

The other major issue that I have with Ford is that, despite his feet and kick slide being at an NFL baseline, his hands are often either shooting outside or far too late to the party. I think speed rushers won't be a huge issue for him but true technicians (such as the in-division Trey Flowers) might cause him trouble early as he can expose his chest. Because of the hands issue, I think the NFL should forget about drafting him as a guard as it'll only exacerbate the problem.

 

At the moment, as he currently is, I don't see a 1st round player (let alone a top 10 pick). Gambling on potential with OL is always a tricky game but it's hard to say no to the idea of drafting him. Having only started 21 games, he might only be scratching the surface of his ability. If you can iron out the flaws, he could be a star.

Great post.  I agree with all of your points as to his potential at RT.  The only thing I would wonder if that hand placement is in part a function of that Oklahoma offense and the movement/angles these guys are forced to take.  This isn't an excuse and  he absolutely does need work though, but man that movement in Daboll's offense could open some incredible possibilities.  He seems like a perfect fit for Daboll given his experience in RPO.  As you can tell, I love him at OG moreso than at OT.  

 

 

 

Edited by N.Y. Orangeman
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1 hour ago, N.Y. Orangeman said:

Great post.  I agree with all of your points as to his potential at RT.  The only thing I would wonder if that hand placement is in part a function of that Oklahoma offense and the movement/angles these guys are forced to take.  This isn't an excuse and  he absolutely does need work though, but man that movement in Daboll's offense could open some incredible possibilities.  He seems like a perfect fit for Daboll given his experience in RPO.  As you can tell, I love him at OG moreso than at OT. 

 

It's always difficult to tell with OL when they play with someone as dynamic as Murray. The conventional pocket doesn't really exist. There is also the idea that he's only just switched to tackle and he might be more worried about his feet on the edge than his hands. They only get a finite amount of time to work on practical application of technique in college so it's not beyond the realms for them to make one aspect a priority over others.

 

 

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17 hours ago, KD in CA said:

I don't trust anyone who 'shoots up the charts'.  Take the guy who's been at the top of the chart all along.

You'd miss out on a lot of great players then.  Scouts just haven't gotten to see everybody so anyone that's with a top school like Alabama will be viewed first. It's just when scouts get to really see and talk with these guys that you see them rise and fall.  

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1 hour ago, Buffalo30 said:

You'd miss out on a lot of great players then.  Scouts just haven't gotten to see everybody so anyone that's with a top school like Alabama will be viewed first. It's just when scouts get to really see and talk with these guys that you see them rise and fall.  

 

It's the fallacy of 'draft stock'. All it is is simply correction/overcorrection.

 

Good players are good. Bad players are bad.

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30 minutes ago, Blokestradamus said:

 

It's the fallacy of 'draft stock'. All it is is simply correction/overcorrection.

 

Good players are good. Bad players are bad.

Scouts don't get to see all of the players during the year.  When the senior bowl and combine arrive, scouts get to see the players up close in person. They get to interview guys and see if they have a brain and are the right fit for the team.  It's a very competitive stage and small school guys who are overlooked all year long get to prove their talent. Many small school 3 star prospects come in and punch big school guys in the mouth and they go shooting up the boards to even the playing field.  

 

If they like his potential and how he is wired, I could see him being taken in the 1st.  Every player that gets drafted needs to get better.  Are their flaws correctable and can they fit into what the team is trying to do.

 

Maybe the best thing for Ford is to drop stance and become a guard.  We will be exposed more to him as the weeks pass.

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3 minutes ago, Buffalo30 said:

Scouts don't get to see all of the players during the year.  When the senior bowl and combine arrive, scouts get to see the players up close in person. They get to interview guys and see if they have a brain and are the right fit for the team.  It's a very competitive stage and small school guys who are overlooked all year long get to prove their talent. Many small school 3 star prospects come in and punch big school guys in the mouth and they go shooting up the boards.  

 

That's a good point.

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