2014 Kansas City Draft Grade: Dee Ford

Jan 4, 2014; Newport Beach, CA, USA; Auburn Tigers cornerback Dee Ford (30) answers questions during Media Day at Newport Beach Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Now before you go and immediately click “F” please read the next few paragraphs and watch this video.

Dee Ford is a good football player. John Dorsey and Andy Reid seem to be comfortable with his medicals, so Kansas City should expect a great deal of pass rush to be added to their defense.

Let’s start with Rob Rang‘s take on him:

"Fluid athlete with impressive burst, agility and underrated strength. As his size suggests, Ford relies on his burst off the snap to gain the corner against offensive tackles. He accelerates smoothly and is flexible enough to bend around the corner as a pure speed rusher.Also possesses long arms and broad shoulders. These give him better pop at the point of attack than his opponents expect. While he’s not going to be able to hold up against a powerful run-blocking right tackle all day long, Ford shows some toughness in setting the edge and does a nice job of jumping outside to keep contain.Best of all, while most of his snaps due come from the three-point stance, he is occasionally asked to drop back into coverage, giving scouts evidence that he’ll be able to handle coverage duties. Ford shows balance and efficient change-of-direction skills when operating in reverse, making him one to watch as a linebacker convert."

One should note Rang hand Ford going number five overall to the Falcons. Says a lot about what Rang thinks of Ford.

Kansas City gains a lot of flexibility with the Ford pick both in the future and in the present. In 2014, Ford can be the designated pass rusher when Hali or Houston needs a breather or in obvious passing downs. It will allow Bob Sutton to move either Hali, Houston, or Ford around to create pressure from different angles. An improved pass rush helps the Chiefs’ secondary significantly.

Houston is due to be a free agent after 2014. Hali will occupy nearly $12 million in cap space in 2015. Adding Ford means the Chiefs can either cut Hali or have leverage against Houston in contract negotiations. It is certainly possible the Chiefs could keep Hali and Houston for 2015 too if Hali agrees to take less money (which he is not obligated to do).

This is a good pick, and one I personally will grade as a B+. I’d grade it an A if it were not for the health concerns.

Now it is your turn, Addicts. What grade do you give the Dee Ford pick?