Luke Ford, TE Illinois: 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Ford was a four-star recruit from Carterville High School in Carterville, Ill. in the class of 2018
Illinois tight end Luke Ford is one of the true blocking specialists entering the 2023 NFL Draft. We’ll see if his niche role and skill set still warrant a draft selection in the modern NFL.
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Luke Ford, TE Illinois: 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Fifth year senior tight end from Carterville, Ill.
Background: Ford was a four-star recruit from Carterville High School in Carterville, Ill. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 51 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 42 for Rivals, and No. 49 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 63rd in the nation with an 85 grade out of 100. Ford participated in the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and The Opening 2017 Finals. He also competed in the long jump and 200-meter events for his high school’s track and field team and helped Carterville High School’s basketball team reach the Illinois High School Association Regional Finals in each of his last three seasons. Ford was selected for the WWE’s ‘Next in Line’ NIL program, which could pave the way for him to become a professional wrestler if his NFL dreams fall short. He originally committed to Arkansas before switching to Georgia. Ford transferred from Georgia to Illinois in 2019. He was born on Sept. 23, 1999.
2021 Production: 12 games, 15 receptions, 114 yards, 2 touchdowns
2020 Production: 8 games, 2 receptions, 15 yards
2019 Production: (Sat out because of transfer rules)
2018 Production: 9 games, 1 reception, 4 yards
Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered a broken collar bone in 2017, suffered a minor foot injury in a 2018 motorcycle accident
Awards: N/A
Pros: Quick off the line of scrimmage, experience playing in-line and in the slot, highly experienced run blocker, gaining experience in pass pro, special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, and punt return units, excellent size and bulk, play strength to hold his own against edge rushers, good arm length, displaces or seals second-level defenders, easily locates targets in space, large frame extends his catch radius, makes use of his frame to high-point the football, defenders expect him to block and he surprises them sometimes by running a route, frames blocks well in pass protection, drop concerns from 2021 seem isolated, reliable foot speed, solid base, good hand placement
Cons: Limited production as a pass catcher, four drops on under 30 targets in 2021, limited production in contested catch situations despite size, doesn’t force many missed tackles, committed five penalties in 2021, doesn’t threaten defenses vertically, rarely works beyond 15 yards downfield, leverage is inconsistent, sometimes throws shoulders as a blocker rather than squaring up and driving through a defender, routes are more rounded than crisp, not an explosive, fast, or twitchy player, hands can be late to deploy, defaults to a one-armed long bar or stab block too often, not a natural separator, rudimentary route tree, needs to frame run blocks better to sustain longer, lacks a mauler mentality, lacks the agility to track explosive players, below-average change of direction skills and speed coming out of cuts, won’t generate much YAC
Overview: Ford is unofficially listed at 6'6", 265 lbs. The former four-star recruit has experience playing in-line and in the slot. He’s a highly experienced run blocker who is gaining experience in pass pro. Ford has excellent size and bulk and the play strength to hold his own against edge rushers. He has good arm length and displaces or seals second-level defenders. Ford easily locates targets in space as a blocker. He has a solid base as a blocker and generally plays with good hand placement. Ford’s foot speed and leg drive also help him. He frames blocks well in pass protection but needs to improve framing blocks as a run defender. The Illinois native sometimes fools defenders into believing he’s blocking before leaking out to run a route. He is quick off the line of scrimmage as a pass catcher. Ford’s large frame extends his catch radius, and he high-points the football well. While he struggled with drops in 2021 (four on under 30 targets), those issues seem isolated to that season. Ford has limited production as a pass catcher and hasn’t had many opportunities to showcase his abilities in contested catch situations. He’s not a dynamic athlete. The fifth-year senior isn’t an explosive, fast, or twitchy player. He doesn’t force many missed tackles and doesn’t threaten defenses vertically. Ford rarely works beyond 15 yards downfield, and his routes are more rounded than crisp. He runs a rudimentary route tree and struggles to create separation. As a blocker, Ford’s leverage is inconsistent. He sometimes resorts to throwing shoulders rather than squaring up and driving through a defender. Ford’s hands can be late to deploy, and he defaults to a one-armed long bar or stab block instead of fighting to fully frame his block and drive with two hands. While he frames blocks in pass protection well, Ford needs to frame run blocks better to sustain his positions longer. Despite his size, he lacks a mauler mentality. He’s lost snaps and his starting role this season to Tip Reiman, who offers more speed as a pass catcher and more aggression as a run blocker.
Overall, Ford is an above-average but not elite blocking specialist who offers upside in red zone situations because of his size and catch radius. Unfortunately, Ford lacks the dynamic athleticism and route running skills to warrant a draft pick at this point.
Role & Scheme Fit: In-line blocking specialist
Round Projection: UDFA
Player Comparison: N/A
Submitted: 10-20-22