:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/32351451/20120901_ajw_ar9_086.0.jpg)
With over a week still left until the draft, NFL analysts and reporters remain hard at work discussing the 2014 NFL Draft, the players eligible for the draft, and the strategies of the teams making the selections.
One of the tidbits that was reported yesterday was that the Packers are among a handful of teams looking into Kansas wide receiver and special-teams standout Josh Ford. Who is Josh Ford, you ask? We did some research to find out.
Ford played two seasons in junior college at Arizona Western before transferring to Kansas for his Junior year in 2012. That season, he started one game at wide receiver and spent much of his time playing special teams, where he blocked a punt, forced a fumble, and made nine total tackles. In 2013, Ford started four games at receiver, catching nine passes for 126 yards. He blocked another pair of punts that season.
Ford was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, but did participate in the Jayhawks' Pro Day, where he measured in at 6 feet, 3 inches and 206 pounds. He reportedly ran his 40-yard dash in 4.60 seconds, not a blazing time by any stretch, and had decent but not exceptional times in agility drills.
Based on this information, it seems reasonable that the Packers would be looking at Ford as an undrafted free agent possibility, as those numbers on the surface do not suggest that he would draw substantial draft consideration. Then again, the Packers have been known to take fliers with their seventh-round draft picks under Ted Thompson, so we'll have to wait until next Saturday to find out.
Aside from Ford, we have another spot of Packers-related draft analysis from Gil Brandt, the former Cowboys executive who now works for NFL.com. He took questions on Twitter and was asked about the top inside linebacker prospects:
.@aprigs311 At ILB, probably Mosely for #Packers, but Shazier is a really good player. Reminds me some of #Bucs Brooks, undersized like him.
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) April 29, 2014
For the record, I agree with Brandt, and would take Mosley first if they were both available.
One other interesting point from Brandt's Q&A is about Joel Bitonio, the former Nevada left tackle. Bitonio is looked at as a day-2 draft choice, and could slide inside to guard. However, Brandt thinks that he could move even farther inside, which might make him intriguing for Ted Thompson:
.@MikeRay34 Bitonio has made great strides, could start at C/G as rook. Trai should have stayed in school but good player.
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) April 29, 2014
Moving a left tackle like Bitonio to center seems like a move that's right up Thompson's alley. Whether the value for a tackle-to-center conversion prospect is right in rounds 2 or 3 is up for debate, though.