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

Pros before bros?

Some attribute his plummet in the draft to his decision to leave his college team in the middle of the year to focus on his pro career. I guess that move, now viewed in hindsight, might have soured him in the eyes of most of the NFL general managers. And maybe it even soured Rams’ GM Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay a bit on Ford, too, for all we know, because they coulda’ drafted him, but they, too, passed him over.

Los Angeles Rams

Of course, there really did not seem to be much need for another safety. Now another wide receiver? Sure. Hop on the bus. But safety?  No room at the inn. Well, not entirely, because the Rams then turned around and signed Ford as an undrafted free agent, after all the other teams demurred on drafting him.

Or maybe it was his poor showing at his Pro Day, where he ran two disappointing 40 times at 4.8 and 4.9. If you leave your college team in the middle of a season to focus on your pro career, you’d best ball out at your pro day, and Ford didn’t do that. Or, at least, he didn’t pick ’em up and lay ’em down fast enough on that particular day.

Maybe it was because according to his NFL draft combine profile, the scouts said he was a bit under-sized at six feet and 197 pounds for the NFL position (Remind anyone of another player on the Rams roster from Pitt?).

Then there’s the uncomfortable reality that he missed two games due to targeting calls made against him in college. Perhaps that indiscretion alone was enough to scare off any potential takers in this draft. Somehow, the LA Rams secondary coach Ejiro Evero will need to harness that passion and energy, not only to prevent similar events in the NFL, but to ensure the safety of all players in the game.

We may never truly know the true reason or reasons.