Nick Ford NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Utah IOL

HEIGHT: 6'5"

WEIGHT: 317

POSITIVES

— Big, wide-bodied frame with very good arm length.

— Heavy hands with the upper-body strength and power to create instant stopping power on contact, tie up rushers and anchor once latched.

— Cleans the pocket when uncovered with jarring force and a rugged, physical mentality.

— Solid initial quickness out of his stance to line up targets as a puller and off of combo blocks.

— Excels in downhill, power and inside zone-run concepts, with the girth, length and power to uproot, latch and torque DL to create cutback lanes off of his backside on Deuce blocks and inside zone combinations.

NEGATIVES

— Marginal processing skills; consistently late to read late loopers and delayed blitzes, oftentimes late identifying & picking up the most dangerous man.

— Upright playing style with a high pad level that saps his ability to redirect, refit and sustain blocks.

— Inconsistent effort level and technique; loses his center of gravity and leans into too many blocks.

2021 STATISTICS

- 14 starts; 11 at center and three at LG.

- First team All-Pac 12 selection

NOTES

— Former 3-star offensive tackle recruit and two-way player (DL) out of San Pedro High School in California.

— Forty career starts split across all five positions on the O-line (one at LT, nine at LG, 15 at C, 13 at RG and two at RT).

— Lost about 10 pounds from the end of season to his pro day, weighing in at 310 pounds.

OVERALL

Ford is a three-and-a-half-year starter inside Utah's multiple run scheme with 40 starts primarily spent on the interior, but he has at least one start at all five positions. Ford has a thick, wide-bodied frame with very good arm length and heavy hands.

Ford wins using his girth, length and good upper-body strength to generate knockback power on contact, displace and wall off defenders to create rush lanes off of his backside. He can effectively 'post' defensive tackles on Deuce blocks and uproot them off of their spot as the 'drive' man while having enough quickness to bang, climb and wall off flowing backers at the second-level. He has the initial quickness to function on wide zone concepts, but his persistently high pad level and shoddy use of leverage limits his sustain and causes him to fall off too many blocks against movement across his face. He also is late keying and diagnosing late-loopers and delayed blitzes, causing him to be tardy deciphering the most dangerous man.

Ford has the play strength, length and girth to latch and anchor on nose tackles at center with the power and demeanor to clean the pocket when uncovered. He struggles mirroring subpackage rushers because of a high pad level and a bad habit of leaning into contact that causes him to be tardy with his hands and/or unable to redirect effectively.

Overall, Ford has solid run-blocking skills with the frame, length and upper-body strength to wall off defenders in the run game and anchor once latched, but he has marginal play speed and poor use of leverage that will need to significantly improve to stick on a roster long-term.

GRADE: 5.5 (Backup/draftable - Round 7)

OVERALL RANK: 283

POSITION RANK: IOL32

PRO COMPARISON: Jamil Demby

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn