Paris Ford (born June 6, 1998) is an American professional football safety for the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League (IFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh.
| Massachusetts Pirates | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Safety |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | June 6, 1998 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Steel Valley |
| College: | Pittsburgh |
| Undrafted: | 2021 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editFord was born and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and originally attended Seton-La Salle Catholic High School, where he played both defensive back and wide receiver on the football team. He transferred to Steel Valley High School midway through his junior year.[1] Ford was named Class 2A All-State and an Under Armour All-American as a senior after scoring 22 touchdowns five different ways (rushing, receiving, interception return, punt return and fumble return).[2][3]
College career
editFord redshirted his true freshman season. As a redshirt freshman he played in nine games on special teams.[4][5][6] Ford was named a starter at safety going into his redshirt sophomore season.[7] He finished the year with 97 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles with 14 passes defended and three interceptions and was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference.[8] Going into his redshirt junior year, Ford was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award, Jim Thorpe Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy watchlists, and was a preseason All-American.[9][10] After playing in seven games in 2020, Ford opted out of the remainder of the season to prepare for the draft, ending the season while he led the team with 45 tackles and 3 interceptions.[11]
Professional career
editFord returned to Pittsburgh to work out at the school's pro day on March 17, 2021, where he explained that his decision to opt out was also motivated by a desire to help his family financially.[12]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+5⁄8 in (1.84 m) |
197 lb (89 kg) |
32+3⁄8 in (0.82 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.85 s | 1.56 s | 2.81 s | 4.45 s | 7.44 s | 28.5 in (0.72 m) |
9 ft 2 in (2.79 m) | ||
| All values from 2021 Pittsburgh Pro Day[13][14] | ||||||||||||
Los Angeles Rams
editDespite some analysts viewing him as having late-round talent, Ford was not selected in the 2021 NFL draft. On May 1, 2021, Ford signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams.[15] He was waived on August 23, 2021.[16]
New Jersey Generals
editOn March 10, 2022, Ford was selected by the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League.[17] He was transferred to the team's practice squad on April 14, 2022,[18] and remained on the inactive roster on April 22.[19] He was transferred to the active roster on April 30.[20]
Ford re-signed with the Generals on July 14, 2023.[21] The Generals folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).[22]
Massachusetts Pirates
editOn May 19, 2024, the Massachusetts Pirates signed Ford.[23]
References
edit- ^ "ATop-ranked high school WR/DB Paris Ford transfers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 11, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "Pitt commit Paris Ford receives Under Armour All-America jersey". USATodayHSS.com. November 18, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "After review: Paris Ford breaks out, more observations". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 6, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "Paris Ford ready to go from 'chained dog' to unleashed at Pitt". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 7, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ McGonigal, John (October 23, 2019). "Nationally recognized in back-to-back games, Pitt safety Paris Ford 'starting to heat up'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "Pitt safety Paris Ford will skip 2020 NFL draft, return next season". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 30, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "Paris Ford says he'll defer NFL plans, return to Pitt for 2020". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. December 30, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ Michalowski, George (July 12, 2020). "Pitt Panthers Football Key Player Profile: Safety Paris Ford". 247Sports.com. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "Pitt's Ford, Jones and Twyman land on Bednarik Award preseason watch list". WJACTV.com. July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "Sporting News honors two Panthers". Altoona Mirror. June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Panther standout Paris Ford opting out of rest of season". ESPN.com. November 2, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ "Jaylen Twyman, Paris Ford return to Pitt for pro day workouts with eyes on the NFL". triblive.com. March 17, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ "Paris Ford Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "Paris Ford, Pittsburgh, SS, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "Paris Ford Signs Free Agent Deal With Los Angeles Rams". pittsburghsportsnow.com. May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ "Rams waive Devlin Hodges, Paris Ford, Raymond Calais". NBCSports.com. August 23, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- ^ Joe Rutter (March 10, 2022). "Maulers complete USFL roster; Former Pitt S Paris Ford drafted by New Jersey". www.triblive.com. Trib Total Media. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ @USFLGenerals (April 14, 2022). "Roster updates" (Tweet). Retrieved April 15, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ @USFLGenerals (April 22, 2022). "Players remaining on inactive roster" (Tweet). Retrieved April 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ @USFLGenerals (April 30, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved April 30, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ @USFLGenerals (July 14, 2023). "Free Agent Signings" (Tweet). Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Seifert, Kevin (January 1, 2024). "Newly formed United Football League sets 8 markets, tabs coaches". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ "New Jersey". International Year Book and Statesmen's Who's Who. Retrieved May 26, 2024.