AL_Royalty 489 Posted June 11, 2014 General manager John Dorsey recently explained that Dee Ford was selected at No. 23 overall because the Auburn star was the best player left on the Kansas City Chiefs' board and the second-best pass rusher in the draft. Coach Andy Reid has praised Ford's quickness and athletic ability while rating the outside linebacker's intangibles as "off the charts."After a few weeks of offseason practices, Ford has exceeded the Chiefs' already lofty expectations. On a more impressive note, Ford's explosive first step has already drawn comparisons to Chiefs Hall of Famelinebacker Derrick Thomas and Broncos All-Pro Von Miller. "If anybody reminds you of Derrick Thomas, that kid should pretty much remind you of Derrick Thomas with his first step," Pro Bowl linebacker Tamba Hali said last week, per The Huntsville Times. "He gets off the ball so fast it's scary. I just kept rewinding (the video) yesterday just looking at his first step. I don't know if he times it, but his first step is incredible." New teammate Joe Mays, who played with Miller in Denver, sees similar traits in Ford. "That guys is explosive. He's quick off the ball," Mays said Tuesday, per the Chiefs' official website. "He kind of reminds me of Von Miller with the way that he gets off the ball and gets around the offensive linemen. He's a freak. He knows how to work angles and uses his hands real well. He can bend and do all types of stuff you don't see in the everyday pass rushers.Definitely 'as-advertised'." The quotes coming out of Kansas City suggest Ford should have been a top-10 draft pick last month. As much talent as Ford boasts, it's going to be tough for him to challenge for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award while fighting for snaps behind Hali and Justin Houston. With Hali carrying a prohibitive $12 million salary cap figure in 2015, though, Ford should be a prime "Making the Leap" candidate at this point next offseason. Chris Wesseling, NFL.com Maybe this kid makes me eat my words. If he turns out to be as good as this article implies, I'll gladly take that slice of humble pie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BJORN 679 Posted June 11, 2014 He has always reminded me a lot of Shaun Phillips. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FartWaffles 1,857 Posted June 11, 2014 No doubt Ford has the ability to be a great pass rusher, it's whether he can be stout against the run that is in question. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanbrock 1,684 Posted June 12, 2014 Ford is far from a perfect prospect, but I think he's just going to get better. He's a gamer and I love his attitude. Comparing him to Derrick Thomas after OTA's though is absolutely fucking retarded lol. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AL_Royalty 489 Posted June 12, 2014 No doubt Ford has the ability to be a great pass rusher, it's whether he can be stout against the run that is in question. He's got time to work on that part of his game. He wasn't drafted to tackle the Monte Balls of the world. He was picked to give fits to the Peyton Mannings out there. If a team can get after the QB with consistency, they can beat anyone anytime. Ford is far from a perfect prospect, but I think he's just going to get better. He's a gamer and I love his attitude. Comparing him to Derrick Thomas after OTA's though is absolutely fucking retarded lol. Yeah, I agree that it's WAAAYYY too early to be throwing around the DT comparisons. That would be like if the Browns HC Pettine came out in the Beacon Journal tomorrow calling Manziel the next Steve Young because he runs and throws. Thomas is a legend, but if this kid is getting off the ball anywhere near as fast as DT did, it's very encouraging and pretty exciting. It's even more exciting because it's not coming from Mel Kiper or Jaws or Herm Edwards. It's coming from Tamba Hali, the best Chiefs' pass rusher since the legend himself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theMileHighGuy 656 Posted June 12, 2014 Well, if anyone is a good judge of talent, it's Joe Mays. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATL_Predator+ 1,196 Posted June 12, 2014 Has anyone compared Dee Ford to Vernon Gholston yet in terms of relevance and impact he'll have as an NFL Player. Because he's never going to amount to anything. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FartWaffles 1,857 Posted June 12, 2014 Has anyone compared Dee Ford to Vernon Gholston yet in terms of relevance and impact he'll have as an NFL Player. Because he's never going to amount to anything. Let the guy play a few NFL downs before you crucify his game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATL_Predator+ 1,196 Posted June 12, 2014 Let the guy play a few NFL downs before you crucify his game. ATL_Prophet has spoken. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CampinWithaMissingPerson 2,025 Posted June 13, 2014 Ford was one of my potential bust picks going into the draft, but again, the team fit completely shits on everything. One thing I said with Ford was the only way he's gonna be set up to succeed is if he went to a 3-4 team that already had good or great players around him and low and behold that happened. So I expect him to do better than I originally thought. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
