Jerome Ford RB Cincinnati: Scouting Report

Height: 5’11’’

Weight: 211

Overall

Jerome Ford is a speedy running back in Cincinnati’s balanced offense. He began his college career at Alabama before transferring to Cincinnati prior to the 2020 season. In his 2 seasons at Cincinnati, he played in 24 games, starting 16 of them. He runs with toughness even though his not a power back and he had a lot of production this past season.

Run Game

Ford has good speed after the handoff, but he needs to play with more patience. He often runs into the back of his offensive line rather than reading the play. When he finds a running lane though, he has very good burst and the speed outrun the 2nd level of the defense creating huge plays for the offense. He is light on his feet and can change direction with ease. At times he shows the ability to bounce off tackles but too often, he will be taken down after first contact. He does a good job of driving his legs at the end of plays. His biggest concern is that he struggles making plays out of nothing. Too often when a play blows up in the backfield or he is hit early, he is unable to find open space which leads to a lot of unsuccessful plays.

Pass Game

In the pass game, he is a quality receiver and has the hands and speed to beat linebackers in coverage. However, he did not show a lot of receiving production on film. As a pass blocker, he shows good effort, but his lack of strength will limit his ability to be used as a blocker at the next level.

Last Word

Ford projects best in a zone run scheme where he can use his speed to get to the edge and get up field. In the right system he can be a quality change of pace back but his inability to create plays on his own will limit his snaps in the pros. He can be a good receiving back on 3rd down, but he needs to improve his pass blocking ability before he can be relied on in the pass game. His lack of strength will limit his ability to play on special teams as well.

One-Liner: Jerome Ford has home run hitting speed but his inability to make plays on his own and his lack of contact balance will limit his usage at the next level.

Grade: 6.2 (Backup, Change of Pace Back)

Games Watched: 2021 – Alabama, Indiana, Houston

Team Fits: New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans