The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Jaylan Ford drafted by New Orleans Saints
04.27.2024 | Football
Texas LB Jaylan Ford was selected in the fifth round with the 175th overall pick.
DETROIT – Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 175th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday.
Ford is the ninth Longhorn selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, the most-ever for Texas through five rounds of an NFL Draft. With Ford's selection, it marks the seventh time in the last 13 NFL Drafts that a Texas linebacker has been selected and the 27th time overall.
Ford is the seventh Texas player drafted by the Saints in program history and the first since safety Kenny Vaccaro was picked in the first round of the 2013 draft. He is the first Texas linebacker chosen by the Saints since Winfred Tubbs was drafted in the third round in 1994.
"Jaylan Ford is a great pick for New Orleans and will be an awesome addition to the Saints," said Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian." 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.
"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."
An All-American from Frisco, Texas, Ford was four-year linebacker who played in 49 games with 29 starts for the Longhorns. A Butkus Award semifinalist, he completed his career with 287 tackles (141 solo), 27.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and six interceptions. His six interceptions are the fourth-most for a linebacker in program history. He tallied 100-plus tackles in each of the last two seasons, the first Longhorn to accomplish the feat in back-to-back seasons since Keenan Robinson in 2010-11.
As a senior in 2023, he earned All-Big 12 First Team honors for the second-straight year from both the league's coaches and the Associated Press. Ford led the Longhorns with 101 tackles (46 solo) and 10.5 tackles for loss, including one sack, while hauling in two interceptions, breaking up four passes, forcing a fumble and recovering a fumble. He registered five or more tackles in all 13 of 14 games with seven games of at least eight tackles, including 10 in the College Football Playoff Semifinal against Washington. His three takeaways led to two Longhorn touchdowns and a field goal, while his forced fumble led to a Texas field goal.
Ford had a breakout season in 2022, earning AP All-American accolades after leading the Longhorns with a career-high 119 tackles (61 solo), three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four interceptions. He also logged 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, two quarterback hurries and two pass breakups. His four interceptions tied the single-season interception record for a Texas linebacker, last accomplished by Derrick Johnson in 2002 and 2003. All four of his interceptions led to Texas touchdowns, while his two fumble recoveries clinched victories over Kansas State and Iowa State. Ford's 119 total tackles were the most in a season for a Longhorn since 2014 (Jordan Hicks - 147; Steve Edmond - 131). He was a 2022 first-team All-Big 12 selection by both the Big 12 Conference and the Associated Press and named the Dave Campbell's Texas Football Defensive Player of the Year. Ford is the first Longhorn to earn the conference's preseason defensive player of the year accolade since Malik Jefferson was chosen ahead of the 2016 season.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
On being drafted by New Orleans:
It's definitely a surreal moment, let along it being the Saints from right down the road. Just being able to be picked up, like when I got the call, it was crazy just listening to them. They call you and they're telling you they're going to pick you, and chills just ran through my body, and I started getting teary eyed. It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of feeling, so that was pretty cool. Then the fact that they wanted to take a chance on me, it says a lot about them and how they feel about me, and at the end of the day, I was meant to go to the Saints because they felt like I was the right fit for them. I'm just excited to get down there and earn my keep.
On the call:
I was just sitting there watching, and I think the Cowboys were up, and at that point, I knew it was kind of coming soon just from where the guys at my position had gone, so I felt like my name was going to come up soon. It was a little tense in the room. I've got my family here and it was pretty quiet, and my mom and my dad were getting a little impatient, but I was just trying to stay calm and be patient because I knew it was coming. Then I felt my phone ring, and I looked down and I'm getting a call from a 214 number, so at first, I thought it might be the Cowboys, but it was the GM of the Saints, and he was telling me they were going to draft me. It was pretty cool, and everyone started to realize what was happening, and they started pulling their phones out. It was even better because my dad's side of the family is here and they're from Louisiana, so I thought that was pretty cool.
On seeing his family's reaction:
I thought it was cool to see. Some of them were crying, I hugged my mom, I hugged my dad, and I think for them, they were glad to see their son was going to be okay. They knew how much this meant to me, and that this was my dream since I was a little kid, and them being with me through this whole journey has been nothing but incredible. To be at this point, it was definitely cool to share with them.
On the Saints:
They got Cam Jordan there now, and in my room alone they've got some guys like Demario Davis, so I think that's pretty cool that I've got one of the top linebackers in the league in my room, so there's a lot of advice I can take from him and build from that. I'm not new to having to earn and work my way up the ladder, so that doesn't bother me at all. Now it's just about doing what I've been doing, which is grinding and competing and putting in the hard work, and eventually you get to reap the benefits of that. I'm just looking forward to the next part of my journey. It's a new team, new family, but I learned a lot at Texas so I think I'm ready for the next part of my life and the next phase of my football life. I'm really excited, and I can't wait to get out there.
On former Longhorns he'll lean on:
Definitely Derrick Johnson, that'll be somebody I talk to as long as I can. P.J. Locke reached out and congratulated me, and I think now that I'm part of that family, it's pretty cool to see the guys I'll be able to connect to. I talked to Joseph Ossai, he's someone I'm still close with too, so I'm getting advice from him and DeMo (DeMarvion Overshown), all those guys I was at Texas with who are now in the league and have a couple of years under their belt, so I can learn from them. It's a brotherhood at Texas, so once you get to the next level those guys all take care of you, it doesn't matter what team, you just have to reach out to them.
On the number of Texas draft picks this year:
I just got done texting Sark. He was texting me congratulating me and saying he was proud of me, but more importantly, he was proud of the way I went about my business every day. I told him I appreciate it, but I texted him in all caps, 'ELEVEN DRAFTED!' and I told him I was just glad to be a part of something so special. Those first years were rough, and just to see that the guys came in and listened to Sark and bought in to what he was trying to build, and you look now, but it's multiple guys in each round, and it just a sign that shows you we put in the work, and we all got a chance to go play at the next level. Just to have 11 from one school and everything we've accomplished and worked for, it's been crazy.
On how well prepared he feels coming out of Texas:
I feel super prepared. I was just telling the Saints media, that part of helping rebuild Texas and establish the culture they have now and build it from the ground up, it's allowed me to have experience under my belt. I know how you have to work for it and understand that things aren't always going to start all good. There are going to be tough times, and I have experience knowing how to deal with it and how to bounce back. I think I'm ready for this next level and whatever's going to be thrown at me, so at this point I'm just ready to work and earn everything I'll be able to achieve and make a name for myself in the NFL.
On thanks to his teammates and coaches:
Obviously, I'd like to thank all of them. My teammates and my coaches, all of them, I was a captain for two years, so that just shows you the trust and respect I earned from them, so I just appreciate that, and it instilling confidence in me to help me become the player that I am today. There was so much support of everyone who texted me after I got drafted. It's a brotherhood, and I've got brothers for life, and I know they'll always support me no matter what. I just want to thank them for that.
On his message to Longhorn nation:
To the fans, thank you to them for their unwavering love and support. They're the ones that I went in there every day trying to be my best for, to make them appreciate the Longhorns and the guys who love the university and the team as much as they did. I tried to instill that into me and play with the passion the fans carried, as well, so I want to thank them for that and for them riding with us on this crazy journey. Even now them supporting all the guys getting drafted, you look all over social media and see them cheering for how many guys we got and congratulating them, so to the fans, I can't thank them enough, and I can't thank the school enough. I'll be proud to come back and watch the team and be Texas alumni. It's going to be fun.
ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Who Dat! Jaylan Ford is a Saint 🤘@Jaylanfxrd x @Saints x #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/3vYPnvf7Ti
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) April 27, 2024
ATX 🤝 NOLA #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/qxphZeqWzx
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) April 27, 2024
The league is calling 📱@Jaylanfxrd x @Saints x #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/9nHlT5vx48
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) April 27, 2024
