Cardinals rookie Ford playing more safety, but good with CB too
Rudy Ford played safety in college, but when the Cardinals chose him in the sixth round of the draft, they said the plan was for him to be a cornerback.
Cardinals DB Rudy Ford during an OTA practice May 24. (Photo by Adam Green/Arizona Sports)
(Photo by Adam Green/Arizona Sports)
Rudy Ford played safety in college, but when the Arizona Cardinals chose him in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, they said the plan was for him to be a cornerback.
Yet, as mini-camp neared its conclusion, the former Auburn Tiger started to see more action back at his old position, with the idea being, simply, to have flexibility.
“I prefer to play either one,” Ford told Doug and Wolf Monday on 98.7 FM, Arizona’s Sports Station. “It gives you a chance to look at different points on the field and it just shows versatility, it shows how you’re able to communicate and how you’re able to learn in the system.
“So it’s able to show different things, but I’m up to play either one.”
At 6-foot and 204 pounds Ford has good size for the cornerback position, and the 4.34 second 40-yard dash he ran at his pro day indicates he has enough speed, too.
His transition to that role has been made quicker in part because his pre-draft training involved working with former Cardinals cornerback Rod Hood as well as Patrick Peterson, who is arguably the top cornerback in the NFL.
Ford said both are great men who have helped him grow as a player and person.
“Pat’s a great guy, can talk to him about anything, can go and ask him anything — he’ll give you great information back,” Ford said. “Just me watching him, I was fortunate I got to train with him. Very detailed in what he does, very detailed.
“And just great on and off the field guy, and has great character. And same thing for Rod.”
Ford admitted there was an initial sense of awe when he was on the field with stars like Peterson and Larry Fitzgerald, but that soon dissipated as he realized how helpful his veteran teammates would be.
Advice cannot hurt.
As a senior, Ford posted 59 tackles and seven pass breakups, but the season before, as a junior, he notched 118 tackles and two interceptions.
He said he prefers playing press-man coverage at cornerback, in part because he patterned his game after Peterson.
“He’s a great press-man corner and just going on with the trainer Rod Hood, that’s what he teaches and that’s how I become really good. I’m a man guy because of my speed, so I’m definitely a man-to-man, but press, definitely.”
That’s for Ford, the cornerback. He noted how the coaches had him transition back to free safety, which of course impacts what he needs to work on in the final weeks before training camp begins.
He said the important thing is to continue going over the playbook, with repetition being key.
“But really, for everything, I’m good at the playbook,” he said. “Any questions I have I’m going to continue to ask and continue to talk to the coaches.
“But definitely, they see when I was playing safety, they see I’m very set, home in it, feel like it’s a home position for me, feel like I’m very comfortable there. Can move, get from sideline to sideline, so my speed’s good. But they see a bunch of different versatility right there from that spot, too.”
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Comments
8 Comments
I do to, the Cardinals have one of the best secondaries in the NFL w/ excellent back-up depth to boot. I personally think AZ has one of the top 3 best starting safety units in the NFL n could possibly have thee best safety core.
AZ has 5 DBs on the field the vast majority of the time ( AZ runs a nickel defense around 70-75% of the time) so Tyrann Mathieu, Budda Baker & Antoine Bethea are going to be on the field at the same time an awful lot. All-Pro T. Mathieu is arguably the best S/CB in the league, S/CB Budda Baker is a beast on the field & ran a similar defense ( a lot of the same concepts) in College, he is going to play at a very high level as a rookie I believe & think he will become a Pro Bowl player. S A. Bethea can still play at an extremely high level. Bethea will play both SS & deep FS . In SF he had no talent around him last year & by week 10 I don't think anyone in SFs Secondary was giving it their all. With all of the talent around him here in the desert he will be very good.
With as much talent as Arizona has in the secondary they will definitely be able to rotate Mathieu in/out & move him around. Baker's skill-set is a mirror image of Mathieu's, those two on the field at the same time make AZ extremely versatile & multiple in what they can do. Baker like Mathieu is extremely violent on the field & can play both in the box n cover the slot, but Baker is much better playing deep. This years team has far more talent at Safety than AZ has had to date under Bruce Arians, with an elite lethal pass rush up front, the secondary is going to be extremely good in 2017.
Rudy Ford is very talented but another guy to keep an eye on is UDFA player (paid by far the most of any UDFA getting 25K to sign) to keep an eye on who can definitely excel as a slot CB & possibly as an outside #2CB is 5"9/185pd SoJourn Shelton. Shelton would of been a 2nd rd pick all day had he of been 5"10.5-5"11, he is an extremely talented CB.
Shelton is very similar to long time veteran 5"9 CB Brent Grimes. Shelton is the exact same size but his measurable are far better than Grimes, As Grimes measured 5"9/177pds coming out w/ 4.57 40spd, 33in vertical jump, just 4 reps of 225pds,with much slower feet n not near as quick posting a 7.13 3 cone drill time & 4.25sec 20yd shuttle.
Shelton at 5"9 & now 185pds (31.5in long-arms) running a 4.49-4.51 40 (4.42 at pro-day) good solid power/strength for size with 11 reps of 225pds with a 35.5 inch vertical jump & elite foot speed/quickness posting the fastest 20yd shuttle among CBs at 4.02sec's & one of the top fastest 3 cones posting a 6.82 second 3 cone drill. Earning 2nd team All-Big 10 Honors in 2016 (n 2015) with 31 Tackles/5 INTs & 12 Passes-Defensed Shelton was one of the best pure cover shutdown CBs in the nation in College. Shelton is more athletic/faster & MUCH more polished than Brent Grimes was coming out of College which is why I think Shelton has a good chance of starting as the #2CB w/ his skill-set & its why he was paid so much to sign. Shelton can very likely be a Possible Pro-Bowl caliber Slot CB inside , He needs to prove despite being small he can play outside, which being he is more polished/athletic than Brent Grimes I think he can.
A four year starter in college Shelton is an extremely polished CB who excels both inside and as an outside CB. Shelton has elite extremely quick/nimble feet. Excellent polished route/pattern recognition w/ Ability to mirror-and-match receivers throughout the route staying in the WRs front pocket was arguably best among draftable CBs next to LSU's Tre'Davious White & Instinctive with lightning quick feet/reaction time. Excellent very balanced vision/eyes reading receiver/quarterback. Among best anticipating route break from off-coverage n jumping the route picking off or breaking up pass. Has closing burst to make a play on throws in front of him and long speed to check deep threats around the field & stay step for step with burners as he has excellent top end speed.
Sojourn Shelton is very polished & has a very high ceiling, he reminds me a lot of Brent Grimes though a faster version. With an excellent training camp, it wouldn't surprise me at all if we see him playing outside as the #2CB or comes in certain packages as he is an excellent corner with the athleticism/ skills/ anticipation to make up for his lack of height a la Brent Grimes. Against bigger 6"3-6"4 WRs Justin Bethel or Brandon Williams will need to come in but against 5"10 to 6"1 #2 WRs (the height of most #2WRs) Shelton definitely has the ability to cover them.
AZ has something like 17 players who play multiple positions I heard Wolf say, by far the most in the league. Pretty much everyone in the secondary plays multiple positions, All-Pro S/CB Tyrann Mathieu is the best S/CB in the NFL healthy & plays SS down in the box near the LOS, plays FS & is the best Slot Cornerback in the NFL by far fully healthy. In 2015 Mathieu ranked as the #1CB in NFL with by far the highest grade in coverage/vs run and overall among CBs. Having Mathieu 110% healthy again & back to Elite form is A MASSIVE shot in the arm for the Secondary & Defense overall as a whole. 5"10 Rookie S/CB Budda Baker plays SS, FS and Slot CB playing all 3 at an Elite level in College in pass coverage & vs the run & was extremely violent on the field w/ Elite athleticism/speed (4.41 40), Baker's skill-set is a carbon copy of Mathieu's making AZ extremely versatile on the backend. 5"11 1/2 209pd Antoine Bethea is an excellent safety who can play both SS & FS & still is playing at an extremely high level. Bethea will be far far better this year here in AZ than he was in SF due to all of the elite pro-bowl caliber weapons around him & one of the NFLs elite top 3 pass rush's in the front 7 up front. Versatile big 6"1/210pd S/CB Tyvon Branch(4.28 40)also can play SS/FS n Slot CB as well as some outside CB if need be.
Arizona also has excellent top notch backup & rotational DBs who play multiple positions. Likely starting #2CB 6ft/200pd CB Justin Bethel is a good solid #2CB but can also play inside as a Slot-CB at an extremely high level. 6"1/200pd CB Brandon Williams also can play both inside/outside. 5"11 now 195pd Harlan Miller is an excellent DB who can excel as both an inside/outside CB & plays Free Safety at a very high level, I hope he has gotten stronger this off-season & Arizona gives him a look as the #2CB because he could possibly be an excellent starting corner. At just under 6ft/205pd w/ excellent athleticism & elite speed (4.34 40) playing both SS/FS & CB Rudy Ford is going to be extremely good in the NFL I think, though I think he will end up excelling at SS down in the Box as a far more athletic Tony Jefferson type. CB Sojourn Shelton who can play both inside & outside is a guy to keep an eye who could possibly start as he is extremely talented & would of been a 2nd round pick had he of been 1in 1/2 taller at 5"11.
Arizona is loaded with excellent above-average to elite DBs who have the ability to play multiple positions making Arizona extremely versatile on the backend. AZ has two extremely athletic 3 down pass covering ILB as well both possessing elite athleticism/speed in 6"2/239 (4.49-4.51 40/37in vertical) ILB/OLB Hasson Reddick who has an ex CB is extremely gifted in pass coverage paired up with premiere 6"2 now 223pd elite ILB Deone Bucannon who ranked top 8 in pass coverage last year (due to injury) & 100% healthy in 2015 ranked 4th overall in pass coverage via Pro Football Focus. Both can match-up with a shutdown receiving TE's & RBs. Arizona is going to have one of the best top 3-5 elite pass defenses again with one of the best elite top 3-5 pass rush's up front & absolutely stacked from top to bottom with excellent pass defenders.