The 2019 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. The Game Haus will be doing scouting reports on some of the top prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft. Oklahoma offensive lineman Cody Ford has helped a great offense be productive and now is in a position to be an NFL Draft pick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoAesSYSg_s

Background

Position: Offensive Tackle/Offensive Guard

Class: Redshirt Junior

2018 Stats: First-Team All-Big 12, Third-Team All-American, 14 starts

Size: 6-foot-4, 329 pounds

Ford has gone from a relatively unknown player to one of the best offensive linemen in college football in a short period of time. With his college play getting better, his draft stock has also seen a meteoric rise, as he is now mentioned among some of the best offensive linemen in the draft class.

For the first two seasons, Ford sporadically started at guard for the Sooners. He was switched to right tackle for the 2018 season and it proved to be a great move. His blocking helped lead Kyler Murray to a Heisman Trophy, Oklahoma to a Big 12 Championship and to an appearance in the College Football Playoff. His play had him receive a lot of national recognition, including being named to the All-American Third Team. Oklahoma’s offensive line won the Joe Moore Award, which is given to the best offensive line in the country.

He may be a one-year wonder in terms of good play, but Ford had a great season. Ford will be rewarded for his good play in the 2018 season by being selected in the early rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Strengths

Ford has a unique blend of size and athleticism. His size allows him to have good power, while his athleticism allows him to move. He can be used to pull and get to the second level if it is required of him. There won’t be many mismatches defenses can line up against him, as he has enough size to deal with bigger defensive linemen and the quickness to stay in front of the faster rushers.

He is also versatile, having played both guard and tackle in college. Ford dealt with injuries, but played guard for the first two seasons of his career at Oklahoma. This season at right tackle, he was healthy and was able to perform up to expectations. His ability to play tackle or guard will make him wanted by more teams in the NFL Draft.

His pass blocking was superb in 2018. While he did give up sacks, some of them were a result of Kyler Murray scrambling. With a more traditional pocket passer, he should be able to limit the number of sacks as he kept the pocket pretty clean this season.

Weaknesses

Although he does project to be a good guard at the NFL level, he was never able to be consistent at the position. He was hurt during his first season at Oklahoma, as he was only able to start and play in three games. The next season he only started four games, but did play in 12. He looked much better at right tackle in the 2018 season.

His footwork will also need to be improved. He is athletic, so working on his feet could make him a great pro lineman. His first step in pass protection is often too far out, near the boundary, instead of back, which makes him susceptible to being beaten on the inside. Ford will also get his feet too wide, which leaves him off balance.

Ford will have to keep his pads at a nice level in the NFL. He can be seen standing straight up on plays This will give defenders the ability to knock him off balance or to set him up for counter moves. If they are fast rushers they should be able to bend around him to get to the quarterback.

Projected Draft Range: First round-Second round

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