NFL Draft Profile: Luke Ford, Tight End, Illinois Fighting Illini
Luke Ford
Illinois Fighting Illini
#82
Pos: TE
Ht: 6056
Wt: 280
Hand: 0938
Arm: 3278
Wing: 7928
40: 4.80
DOB: 9/23/1999
Hometown: Carterville, IL
High School: Carterville
Eligibility: 2023
One Liner:
Ford is an above-average but not elite blocking specialist who offers upside in red zone situations because of his size and catch radius.
Evaluation:
Ford 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 fellow tight end Tip Reiman, who offers more speed as a pass catcher and more aggression as a run blocker.
Grade:
UDFA
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 the 247Sports Composite board, 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.
