Ford is heading to the Big Easy after breaking out as a junior and sustaining his high level of play in 2023.
Texas Longhorns linebacker Jaylan Ford was selected with the No. 175 overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday.
With the 175th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints select LB Jaylan Ford#SaintsDraft | @CoxComm pic.twitter.com/t8LOM1W8bT
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) April 27, 2024
Ford is now the ninth Texas player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, the most-ever for Texas through five rounds of a draft. With Ford’s selection by the Saints, he’s the seventh linebacker picked in the last 13 NFL Drafts and the 27th time overall.
An All-American from Frisco, Ford played in 49 games with 29 starts for the Longhorns after arriving on the Forty Acres as a late addition to the 2020 recruiting class who was the lowest-rated player in that class under former head coach Tom Herman when he flipped from Utah on Early Signing Day in 2019.
A Butkus Award semifinalist, Ford ended his career at Texas with 287 tackles (141 solo), 27.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and six interceptions. Extremely capable and sure-handed dropping in coverage, Ford’s six interceptions rank fourth-most for a linebacker in program history. In each of Ford’s last two seasons, he tallied 100-plus tackles, the first player to accomplish the feat for the Horns in back-to-back seasons since Keenan Robinson in 2010-11.
“Jaylan Ford is a great pick for New Orleans and will be an awesome addition to the Saints. He was huge for our program. In year two as we were transitioning from a tough year one defensively, Jaylan really stepped to the forefront and became the leader of our defense. He had a fantastic season that year with critical plays that made a huge difference for us. Then he takes it up another notch last year and becomes one of the great leaders on our entire team, he was on our leadership committee and was a team captain. He just meant a lot to us in our first three years building our program. He was a magnet to the football, created turnovers, recovered fumbles, got interceptions, had the ability to rush the passer, and in the end, was a leader in transforming our defense from year one to year two to one of the best units in the country last year,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said in a statement released by the school.
“The thing that makes Jaylan a great NFL prospect is his versatility. He’s got the size, speed and a really high football IQ. We asked him to do it all — rush the passer, stop the run and cover people in space. He’s a guy that can play the run and cover the pass. He can play either of the inside linebacker spots, and I think his versatility at the NFL level is going to be key because he can do multiple things for you. The Saints will love this guy, as a player, in the locker room and in the community. Jaylan’s just an incredible player and person.”