A Closer Look at Green Bay Packers Draft Pick IDL Jonathan Ford
By Paul Bretl
There are three Green Bay Packers draft picks remaining in our prospect preview series. Up next is interior defensive lineman Jonathan Ford from Miami, who was selected by Green Bay in the seventh round–pick 234, to be exact.
If you’re tuning in for the first time — welcome! — I’ve been going through each Packers draft pick and eventually will dive into the UDFAs, taking a look at the positional need for Green Bay, the rookie’s potential impact in Year 1, stats you need to know, and a few pre-draft reports as well.
If you’ve missed any of the previous articles, you can find them all right here:
Green Bay Packers need along the interior defensive line prior to the draft
The Green Bay Packers added Jarran Reed in free agency; however, the interior defensive line was still a rather big need entering the draft.
From a pure numbers standpoint, the Packers had only five interior defensive linemen on the entire roster for 2022–which isn’t nearly enough to get through training camp and the preseason, or even the regular season for that matter. And if we looked ahead to 2023, the outlook wasn’t any better with only Kenny Clark and TJ Slaton under contract.
In addition to just adding needed bodies, this was also a very upgradeable position as well in terms of depth. Against the run in 2021, the Packers would rank 30th in yards per carry allowed and 28th by Football Outsiders’ run-DVOA metric–not to mention that there is no such thing as having too much of a pass rush.
Although the top priority for Joe Barry and his defense is to take away the passing game first, there is still certainly room for improvement against the run. A deepened interior defensive line rotation will not only bolster the run defense and pass rush, but it will also allow Green Bay to give Clark a few additional snaps off each game, which isn’t a bad thing, given his heavy workload year after year.
Jonathan Ford’s potential role as a rookie in 2022
As a seventh-round pick, there is certainly no guarantee that Ford is even going to make the 53-man roster–especially given the makeup of the interior defensive line room.
If the Green Bay Packers choose to keep just five interior defenders on the roster, then those spots are already accounted for by Clark, Slaton, Reed, Dean Lowry, and Devonte Wyatt–and no, I don’t see Lowry being cut. However, if the Packers choose to keep six linemen, then Ford will likely be battling closely with Jack Heflin for that final spot.
As of now, I’d guess the most likely landing spot for Ford will be the practice squad, where he can continue to develop and refine his game. But let’s say he makes the roster as the sixth interior defender; he will most likely be used as an A-gap defender against the run with his 333-pound frame.
With that said, I wouldn’t expect to see much of Ford this season as long as everyone stays healthy. This is the best interior defensive line rotation that the Packers have had in recent years, and for reference, as the sixth lineman in 2021, Heflin was on the field for just 17 total defensive snaps.
Where Ford could make a more significant impact is on special teams–specifically as a blocker who takes up space and is difficult to move on the field goal and punt coverage units.
Stats to know about Ford
One common theme throughout this draft for the Green Bay Packers was that they selected elite athletes throughout–except when it comes to Ford. While he measures in at an impressive 6’5″ – 333 pounds, he posted a RAS of just 3.54 out of 10.
Ford has five years of playing experience at Miami, totaling 1,262 snaps over his career. However, the bulk of them came during his final three years, when he averaged 366 snaps per season over that span. He would also tally just 94 career special teams snaps, according to PFF ($$).
Ford recorded 26 career pressures — including only nine in his final two years — and four sacks as a pass-rusher–with a fairly even split between run defense snaps and pass-rush snaps. He spent a majority of his snaps lined up in the B-gap with some time in the A-gap as well, and Ford was a reliable tackler during his college career, missing just one in his final two seasons on 31 attempts.
What the pre-draft report says about Ford
Lance Zierlein – NFL.com
"“Nose tackle with broad frame and intriguing snap quickness, but an alarming lack of impact on the game relative to his traits,” said Zierlein. “Ford gets into the neutral zone with good knock-back power, but he’s more likely to generate penetration than to actually make a play. He hasn’t shown that he can read and react at the point of attack, but could get an opportunity to prove himself in a camp. He flashed rush disruption in 2019 and might be better off playing at a lighter weight to give himself the best chance to succeed in that area.”"