jaylan ford – Syndication Server

Saints rookies Dallin Holker, Jaylan Ford make their season debut vs. Eagles

New Orleans Saints rookies Dallin Holker and Jaylan Ford are set to make their NFL debut on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles:

The New Orleans Saints have announced their Week 3 inactive list, and for the first time this season it will not include two of their rookies, who will both make their debut against the Philadelphia Eagles. Undrafted free agent Dallin Holker (a tight end from Colorado State) and fifth-round draft pick Jaylan Ford (a linebacker from Texas) have both been activated, and will hopefully get some decent playing time.

Ford had missed most of the summer recovering from a knee injury he sustained in late 2023, before playing in Week 1 of the preseason. He then dealt with a hamstring injury which held him out of the remaining preseason games as well as the first two weeks of the regular season. He will now make his debut alongside a strong linebackers unit with Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Willie Gay Jr., Anfernee Orji, and Isaiah Stalbird also on the game-day roster. Watch out for Ford on special teams.

Holker has had a little different experience, as he was a healthy scratch for the past few weeks due to the logjam at tight end. Taysom Hill, Foster Moreau, and Juwan Johnson were all ahead of him. However, the chest injury to Hill will hold him out for the Week 3 contest, and this has provided Holker with an opening on the active roster to try and make an impact. Look for him to draw some targets and work to climb the depth chart.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Jaylan Ford is the Saints Player of Day 53

Jaylan Ford is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 53 in our countdown. The rookie draft pick should aim higher than just making the team:

We’ve got 53 days left until the New Orleans Saints open up their 2024 regular season against the Carolina Panthers, meaning Jaylan Ford is the Saints Player of Day 53 in our countdown. The holder of the No. 53 jersey and rookie draft pick should aim higher than just making the team. But what road brought him here? Let’s break it down.

Name (Age): Jaylan Ford (22)
Position: Linebacker
Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 240 pounds

Relative Athletic Score: 8.30

2024 salary cap hit: $858,569
College: Texas
Drafted: 5th round in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
NFL experience: Rookie

There’s a lot to like about Ford’s game. He’s highly experienced despite his young age, having played in all 49 games the Longhorns have had over the last four years, with plenty of special teams reps on his resume. He’s only a two-year starter on defense but amassed 220 tackles and 10 takeaways in that span. He was regarded as a high-upside run defender coming out of school with some skills in pass coverage, though he may lack the high-end athleticism to hold up against NFL pass-catchers.

If he’s going to displace someone who made the team last year like D’Marco Jackson or Nephi Sewell, it’ll be because Ford had a strong summer working on special teams while holding his own with the second-string defense. Beyond covering punts and kickoffs, he needs to prove he won’t be a liability running with halfbacks and tight ends while picking up crossing routes from slot receivers moving into his zone.

Sewell is likely to miss some time recovering from his New Year’s Eve knee injury, so maybe that opens a slot for Ford right away. But the Saints have other players in the mix like Monty Rice, Anfernee Orji, Khaleke Hudson, and Isaiah Stalbird, and he can’t afford to fall behind. Just being drafted in the fifth round isn’t enough to secure him a roster spot behind Demario Davis, Pete Werner, and Willie Gay.

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D’Marco Jackson predicted to be the Saints’ most notable roster cut

It’s way too early, but Bleacher Report is already predicting the Saints’ most notable roster cut will be linebacker D’Marco Jackson:

Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon predicted linebacker D’Marco Jackson as the New Orleans Saints most notable roster cut. Jackson isn’t a notable name on the roster, so him ending as the most notable roster cut would be great for the Saints. That means a player like Payton Turner once again looks good in training camp.

Kenyon’s criteria for the most notable roster cut from each team, identifying a player who may not be released early in the offseason, but instead after training camp. More likely than not, each team’s notable roster cut won’t happen until right before final roster cuts. Here’s why he sees the Saints possibly moving on from Jackson:

On the bright side, the Saints are stacked with experience at linebacker. Demario Davis and Pete Werner combined for 214 tackles last year, and Nephi Sewell showed promise, too. New Orleans also signed Willie Gay Jr., Khaleke Hudson and Monty Rice this offseason before drafting Jaylan Ford. All of those additions may have squeezed out D’Marco Jackson.

Jackson is definitely fighting for a roster spot, and rookie draft pick Jaylan Ford is the player most likely to squeeze him out. Davis, Werner, and Gay are roster locks. Last season, the Saints had five linebackers make the initial 53-man roster. So after the clear Big 3, that leaves two spots.

Sewell, Jackson and Ford are the most likely contenders entering training camp. Sewell will miss most, if not all, of training camp. If he is ready for the season, however, I project he earned a roster spot from his 2023 performance. The battle between Ford and Jackson will likely come down to special teams. If Jackson remains the best special teams player, he’ll retain his spot over Ford and the undrafted free agent rookies.

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2024 NFL Draft Grades: Saints pick Texas LB Jaylan Ford at No. 175

2024 NFL Draft Grades: New Orleans Saints picked Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford at No. 175 overall selection, making another quality pickup

The New Orleans Saints select linebacker Jaylan Ford out of Texas with the No. 175 overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft.

Ford amassed 220 tackles over his last two seasons at Texas with 20.5 of those going for a loss. He’s solid in coverage too with six career interceptions, including four in 2022. He won’t be a guy that will cover elite athletes, but will get the job done against most tight ends and some running backs.

Even better news for Ford, he won’t have to play that much right away. He will likely be the fourth linebacker in the room, but can learn from Demario Davis as the Saints legend’s career gets closer to its end. He’ll get to earn his stripes on the special teams unit in the meantime.

Grade: B

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2024 NFL draft picks: Saints select Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford in Round 5

2024 NFL draft picks: Saints select Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford in Round 5, adding athleticism, experience, and playmaking ability

Here’s another interesting pick for the New Orleans Saints in the 2024 NFL draft. The Saints selected Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford at No. 175 overall in the fifth round, adding more athleticism and a ton of playmaking ability to the middle of their defense.

Ford’s 8.30 Relative Athletic Score is close enough to line up with the Saints’ in-house metrics, and it’s worth noting how well he moves for a 6-foot-2, 240 pound linebacker. He’s very explosive and agile in a small space, though he doesn’t have any business covering receivers 40 yards downfield. He’s at his best making plays in run defense and guarding the flats. He had 6 interceptions in college.

That’s a good pick before you look at his special teams experience. Ford ran with the kicking and punting units at Texas while also playing on the field goal block squad, totaling 572 snaps in the game’s third phase in his four-year career. He can help the Saints in several different phases if his skills translate to the next level.

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Texas LB Jaylan Ford selected by Saints in fifth round of 2024 NFL draft

The Longhorns have surpassed Mack Brown’s best draft class at Texas.

Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford became the ninth Longhorn off the board in the 2024 NFL draft. Continue reading “Texas LB Jaylan Ford selected by Saints in fifth round of 2024 NFL draft”

Saints were well-represented at Texas Longhorns pro day

The Saints were well-represented at the Texas Longhorns pro day, and the coaches present give us an idea who they were scouting:

The New Orleans Saints were well-represented at the Texas Longhorns pro day, per Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, who says the team’s defensive line and linebackers coaches were in attendance. That likely means Saints assistants Todd Grantham (defensive line) and Michael Hodges (linebackers), though Adam Gristick (assistant defensive line) and Brian Young (pass rush specialist) may have also made the trip. Either way, we can tell which positions they were most interested in.

So which 2024 draft prospects were on their radar? Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy is widely projected to be picked in the top half of the first round and he could be an option for the Saints at No. 14. His teammates Edgerrin Cooper (a linebacker) and T’Vondre Sweat (a nose tackle) are both seen as second-round picks. Linebacker Jaylan Ford also has a draftable grade, and Jett Bush hopes to join him.

Of that group, Murphy and Cooper best fit the athletic thresholds the Saints value with Relative Athletic Scores of 8.96 and 9.26, respectively. Ford told 247 Sports’ Jeff Howe that the Saints are one of the teams he’s had the most contact with through the pre-draft process, so they’re clearly keeping tabs on him. Howe’s peer Hank South overheard Grantham complimenting Sweat, saying that the 366-pounder “made some money” after impressing with his movement skills during his workout.

New Orleans showed some vulnerabilities in run defense last year. The Saints ranked 11th in rushing yards allowed both per-carry and per-game, and they particularly struggled to guard mobile quarterbacks. If Dennis Allen thinks someone like Sweat or Ford can help turn that weakness into a strength, it shouldn’t shock anyone to hear their names called in April.

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Which prospects did Colts meet with at NFL combine?

A quick list of who the Colts met with at the NFL combine.

The NFL Scouting Combine wrapped up this weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium as the Indianapolis Colts continue marching toward the 2024 NFL draft.

While the on-field drills and measurements get most of the public attention, the combine is more important for NFL teams to gather medical information and meet with prospects ahead of the draft.

There are essentially two types of prospect meetings at the combine. The formal interviews garner the most attention. Each team gets a 20-minute interview with up to 45 prospects throughout the week of the combine. They take place in the suites at Lucas Oil Stadium and typically include the majority of high-ranking officials and coaches.

Each team conducts formal prospect meetings in a different manner.

There also are informal interviews. These are less structured. A coach or scout from a team may schedule a quick one-on-one chat with a prospect. There are no time limits on the informal interviews.

The Colts likely met with more prospects than will be listed below, but we can only go off what has been reported. We’ll add any new names to the list if reports come out in the following days.

Here’s a quick rundown of who the team met with during combine week:

Cowboys Mock Draft: Finding Prescott’s successor, refreshing OL, LB, RB

In our latest mock draft, several trades put Dallas in a position to nab the heir apparent while also selecting a couple big-time program duos. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The biggest decision the Dallas Cowboys have to make this offeason is just how much they want to tie the foreseeable future to quarterback Dak Prescott. With eight seasons under his belt, Prescott is reaching the point of his career where the lack of playoff success for the organization has become a part of his personal narrative. Whether or not the club believes they can win with him directing the pirate ship or not, leads them to six options.

Only one option with Prescott, although it is by far the most likely conclusion, results in Dallas not drafting a successor in the next two drafts. That’s a multi-year extension. So in that vein, and knowing we have a dozen mocks to play with between now and the actual draft, playing out that scenario and seeing what the entire haul would look like is going to be our focus.

In this iteration, Dallas accepts a trade-back offer to ensure they have the same number of top-100 picks going to their other needs as well as a franchise QB successor.

List of linebackers and edges at 2024 Senior Bowl

With the NFL as pass-happy as it is, pass-rushers are extremely valuable. Having a good week in Mobile can also help such players. Just ask the Jets. They have selected an edge that was at the Senior Bowl in the first round in each of the last two drafts — Jermaine Johnson, 2022; Will McDonald, 2023.

Could the Jets add another this year? Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will get a close eye on some of these players as the American team head coach. Not just Ulbrich, but linebackers coach Nathaniel Willingham as well, as he will be on the coaching staff. Joining Willingham is Imarjaye Albury of the Vikings, Rob Leonard of the Raiders and Cato June of the Colts. [anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]Here’s who’s in Mobile this week at the edge and linebacker positions.