LA Rams S Paris Ford: Can he compete for a roster spot?

The LA Rams may not have been in the market for another safety. But sometimes, the way an NFL Draft shakes out, some gold nuggets fall to the Rams organization. And such is the case in the 2021 NFL Draft, where the sheer depth volume of potential NFL-quality players practically guaranteed the Rams would have some solid options at the draft’s conclusion.

Still, how did Pittsburg Panthers’ safety Paris Ford manage to go undrafted? How do 32 teams take a pass on drafting a player that looks every bit the part (and plays every bit the part) of the prototypical NFL safety – good size, excellent ball tracking ability, good range, good hands, and hits hard.

I mean he laid the wood on wide receivers and ball carriers alike at Pitt. And he’s the proverbial ball hawk. He just steadily made big play after big play in the Pittsburgh secondary, always seeming to be in the right place at the right time on the field to break up a pass, snare an interception or come up to the line and stuff the runner. He’s uber-aggressive about stopping the run, too, and looks to make plays at (or behind) the line of scrimmage.

Before the draft, he was roundly considered to be a mid-round prospect, too. In one highlight video, he is referred to as the ‘Play Station Player’.  In a 2019 highlight video, Ford demonstrates burst speed, sideline to sideline coverage, and a mean streak of pushing ball carriers.