Overview
Position: Offensive tackle
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 338 pounds
School: Oklahoma Sooners
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 5.21 seconds
Bench press: 19 reps
Vertical jump: 28.5 inches
Broad jump: 8 feet, 8 inches
Three-cone drill: 8.27 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.87 seconds
Cody Ford 2019 NFL Draft Profile
Cody Ford was a four-star recruit entering college. He was the 31st ranked guard out of high school, and the 56th ranked offensive tackle. Overall out of the state of Louisiana, Ford was pegged as the 15th best player in the state. After choosing Oklahoma over other offers from Arkansas, TCU, Mississippi State and others, Ford red-shirted his freshman year in 2015. In his redshirt freshman year, he started the first three games of the season at left guard. The year was cut short by a broken fibula.
In his return from injury during his redshirt sophomore year in 2017, Ford played in 12 games. He started four of those games, all of which were at left guard. It was during his redshirt junior season where Ford really took off. He was moved to right tackle where he started in all 14 games. Ford was honored as a First-Team All-Big 12 selection by coaches. He was also an AP All-America Third Team selection. Ford was part of an offensive line that won the Joe Moore award as well.
Strengths
- great balance and agility;
- very quick out of his stance;
- strong lower body;
- excels blocking on the move;
- tremendous amount of pure power;
- decisive strikes;
- extremely strong anchor;
- picks up stunts and twists well;
- foot quickness.
Weaknesses
- struggles to reach his proper set points;
- speed rushers can cause him issues;
- can play a bit upright at times;
- lacks leverage;
- dealt with some injury issues in college.
NFL Comparison: Daryl Williams
Teams With Need at Position: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals
Projection: Late first round
Bottom Line
Cody Ford’s versatility really stands out against most other offensive linemen in this draft. His success he had playing both guard and tackle in college are desired attributes in the NFL. Ford has tremendous balance and agility which makes him very tough to bully in the trenches. His quickness out of his stance and his lower body strength give him a great anchor that makes him incredibly difficult to beat. He’s great with his hands and very accurate with his strikes. His foot quickness, athleticism, and overall football IQ allow him to quickly pick up stunts and twists with ease.
He will need to work on reaching his proper set points if he wants to be a successful tackle in the NFL. Consequently, Ford is so quick out of his stance and he takes such a big first step that he finds himself out of position. As a result, this can make him susceptible to speed rushers. Ford’s lower body strength should make up for his lack of leverage, but he plays more upright than he should which allows him to be worked off of his spot. Overall, Ford is going to be a late first or early second-day pick for a team in desperate need of offensive linemen. There are a numerous amount of NFL teams that will be looking for a prospect with his tremendous skill set and talent.
