Sixth-round draft pick Jacob Ford should be looked at as a strictly one-dimensional player.
A defensive end, whose weight is listed as 249 pounds, he’s too light to stop the run and was apparently drafted for the sole purpose of providing a pass rush from the right side.
Ford is a speed rusher who had a 4.63 40-yard dash, though hampered by a quad injury. Titans fans will have to hope he has the quickness to go along with that speed, drawing some attention away from Kyle Vanden Bosch on the other side.
The Titans’ best pass rushing right defensive end is currently Travis LaBoy, who hasn’t panned out for a number of reasons. One of them is that he’s been on the field too often in running situations. If the Titans are forced to use LaBoy in that capacity again, Ford looks to be the guy who could pick up some of the load on third and long.
If Ford can accomplish that and give some help to KVB, he will have been a good pickup. A few sacks and forced fumbles, even a few quarterback hurries, will be a welcome addition if accomplished early enough in the season to make opponents take notice.
Ford will have to perform well in training camp if he wants to make the roster. His competition on the right side will include LaBoy, Antwan Odom, and three guys who saw limited action last year – DT/DE Tony Brown, Sean Conover and Josh Savage – plus free agent rookie Jermaine McElveen. Expect only four of the eight DEs to make the roster, at most.
One of those players will be looked at to backup KVB on the left side, which may help Ford’s chances, since he played both RDE and LDE in college.
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