Tag: jaylan ford

Darren Rizzi short on details in postgame injury report

New Orleans Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi was short on details for injuries to Jaylan Ford, Kendre Miller, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling after Sunday’s game:

The New Orleans Saints picked up some additional injuries during their Week 17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. During his media availability postgame, interim head coach Darren Rizzi spoke about the three injuries, and what they were for each player.

However, he was definitely short on details at this time, providing minimal context for each one at the moment likely due to evaluations still being ongoing.

Regarding the injuries, Rizzi said: “Unfortunately suffered a couple injuries in the game. Kendre Miller, as you know, went out with a concussion. (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) went out there at the end, he’s getting checked on, really I think it was a re-aggravation of the same (chest) injury he had last week, we’ll see what happens. Jaylan Ford got a lower leg injury there on that punt cover, so we’ll kind of see where he is at.”

Ultimately the details are limited at the moment as players receive their evaluations, so we will see in the coming days who is ready to go for the Week 18 finale and who is unable to suit up.

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Rookie Saints linebacker carted off after ugly special teams collision

Rookie Saints linebacker Jaylan Ford was carted off the field after an ugly collision on special teams. Here’s to a full recovery for the young pro:

This is worse to see than any lopsided tally on the scoreboard. New Orleans Saints rookie linebacker Jalan Ford was carted off late in Sunday’s game with the Las Vegas Raiders after an ugly collision on special teams left him in a heap on the turf clutching his leg.

The Saints medical staff quickly attended to Ford and stabilized his leg in an air cast before helping him onto a cart, which carried him off the field. The team later announced he had been ruled out with a fibula injury.

You really hate to see young players dealt with serious injuries like this, especially so late in the season. Ford, a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft out of Texas, was just covering a punt return and trying to put positive plays on film when he and other players ran into each other, which resulted in the injury.

We’re rooting for Ford. He may be facing a difficult path back to the field in 2025.

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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: