Mike Ford (cornerback)

Michael Ford (born August 4, 1995) is an American football cornerback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southeast Missouri State.

Mike Ford
Ford in 2019
No. 38 – Detroit Lions
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1995-08-04) August 4, 1995
Alton, Illinois
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Marquette Catholic
(Alton, Illinois)
College:Southeast Missouri State
Undrafted:2018
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • Second team All-OVC (2015)
Career NFL statistics as of 2019
Total tackles:37
Sacks:0
Pass deflections:3
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early life and high school

Ford was born and grew up in Alton, Illinois and attended Marquette Catholic High School, where he played both running back and defensive back for the Explorers football team. As a senior, Ford was named first team all-conference on both offense and defense and All-State at running back after rushing for 1,614 yards and 28 touchdowns, scoring an additional five touchdowns on returns, and recording 69 tackles with two fumble recoveries and three interceptions on defense.[1][2]

College career

Ford spent five seasons at Southeast Missouri State University, redshirting his freshman season and playing wide receiver as a redshirt freshman. He was moved to defensive back at the beginning of his redshirt freshman season.[3] As a redshirt sophomore, his first season as a starter, Ford made 44 tackles and had five interceptions and seven pass breakups and was named second team All-Ohio Valley Conference.[4] As a redshirt senior, Ford made 32 tackles with two sacks, an interception and 14 passes broken up.[5]

Professional career

Ford signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent on April 28, 2018.[6] He failed to make the active roster out of training camp and was subsequently re-signed by the Lions to the team's practice squad on September 2, 2018.[7] Ford was promoted to the Lions' active roster on November 14, 2018 after offensive guard T. J. Lang was placed on injured reserve.[8] Ford made his NFL debut on November 18, 2018, when he started at cornerback and played on special teams in a 20-19 win over the Carolina Panthers, recording two tackles.[9] In his rookie season, Ford played in seven games (four starts) with 25 tackles.[10]

Ford played in 15 games with two starts during the 2019 season, recording 12 tackles and two passes defended. He was assigned a one-year tender with the Lions as an exclusive rights free agent on March 18, 2020.[11] He signed the tender on April 21, 2020.[12]

References
  1. Roseberry, Bill (May 1, 2018). "FOOTBALL: Motown-bound". AdVantageNews.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  2. Pollock, Bill (February 7, 2013). "SE Missouri State draws large recruiting class for 2013". MissouriNet.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  3. Tate, Zach (November 15, 2018). "Detroit Lions sign SEMO Alumnus Mike Ford to active roster". The Arrow. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  4. "Southeast Missouri State CB Mike Ford named to preseason All-America team". Southeast Missourian. August 18, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  5. Oxley, Jim (April 17, 2018). "NFL DRAFT HIGHLIGHTS: Mike Ford, CB -- Southeast Missouri State". HEROSports.com. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  6. Meinke, Kyle (April 28, 2018). "UDFA tracker: Lions sign wave of defensive backs after draft". MLive.com. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  7. Birkett, David (September 2, 2018). "Detroit Lions sign Jake Rudock, 6 others to practice squad". Detroit Free Press. USA Today. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  8. "Lions sign CB Mike Ford to active roster and place G T.J. Lang on Reserve-Injured". DetroitLions.com. November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  9. Bianchi, Nolan (November 18, 2018). "Lions CB Mike Ford makes most of promotion from practice squad". DetroitNews.com. The Detroit News. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  10. Rothstein, Michael (January 14, 2019). "In a bad season, Lions' rookies offer glimpse of real hope". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  11. Williams, Charean (March 18, 2020). "Lions tender exclusive rights free agents Dee Virgin, Mike Ford". ProFootballTalk.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  12. "Lions re-sign exclusive rights free agents CB Mike Ford and CB Dee Virgin". DetroitLions.com. April 21, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
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