Isaiah Ford, Virginia Tech
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 194 lbs.
Arms: 32 5/8”
Hands: 9 1/4”
Vertical: 35.5”
40-yard dash: 4.61 seconds
If you were to just watch Ford’s highlight reel (at the bottom of this article), you’d come away impressed. For a smaller guy, he makes some big plays. But that’s the issue, he’s really not that small. Ford measured in 6’1” at the NFL Combine, but plays like a guy who’s sub-six foot. That can be okay sometimes, but the more you watch, the more you wonder if his skill-set will translate to the NFL.
Ford was a major disappointment at the Combine when he ran a 4.61 forty-yard dash, especially for a guy who weighs just 194 pounds. It actually translates to the tape as well, because Ford almost always has a defender on his back or in his vicinity. Because of this, there aren’t many times where he makes a clean catch.
Speaking of clean catches, it’s almost as if Ford wants to be a hands catcher, but it leads to drops and bobbled balls. There were also times where I wondered how he came up with a ball that he clearly shouldn’t have. As time goes on, I’d expect him to learn to use his body more when catching passes. Believe it or not, there are times where a wide receiver should let the ball come into his body.
His route running is solid, as he creates some separation with hand movements, and has solid recovery speed in and out of his cuts. His lack of long speed is what limits his ceiling, though, especially because he was primarily a perimeter wide receiver at Virginia Tech. He also doesn’t have much strength, which hurts him against press coverage, as well as his production after the catch. Considering his lack of long speed, I wonder if Ford’s future team will ask him to put on some weight in order to create more after the catch. When it comes to blocking, you might as well have nobody out there, because Ford gets tossed around like a ragdoll when trying to block.
In the end, Ford has some redeeming qualities to his game. He makes the most of his 50:50 opportunities, but the down side is that they come too often, and that was in college. In the pros, he may fall in the middle of “not-quite-tall-enough” and “not-quite-fast-enough,” which is a tough spot to be in. Ford isn’t likely to make immediate contributions in fantasy, but he is someone to monitor in dynasty if he lands in a good situation.
NFL comparison
If you’ve watched football for a few years, my favorite comparison to Ford would be Brandon Lloyd. There was a time where Lloyd was looked at as a bust while playing for the 49ers (who drafted him in the fourth round), Redskins, and Bears, but wound up finishing his career strong once he found the right situation with the Broncos. He led the NFL in receiving yards in 2010, which should give you hope for Ford. It may take some time for him to find his niche, but he’s shown glimpses of someone who can play in this league.
To read up on some of the other high-profile NFL Draft prospects, check out the links below:
Corey Davis – (WR, Western Michigan)
Mike Williams – (WR, Clemson)
John Ross – (WR, Washington)
Taywan Taylor – (WR, Western Kentucky)
JuJu Smith-Schuster – (WR, USC)
Chris Godwin – (WR, Penn State)
ArDarius Stewart – (WR, Alabama)
Carlos Henderson – (WR, Louisiana Tech)
Chad Hansen – (WR, California)
Zay Jones – (WR, East Carolina)
Ep. 72: Dynasty Rookie Draft
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
