LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — There's not a diss, question or legitimate criticism you can throw at Marshon Ford that he did not swat away during his terrific career as a University of Louisville football player.
Not big enough? They started with that one the first year Ford snapped on shoulder pads in elementary school.
Not fast enough? They tried to hang that on him when Ford excelled at Ballard High School.
Not enough sizzle in his football skills? This is a player who said he was invited to exposure camps by Purdue, Western Kentucky and other programs and then drove home without any coach even talking to him about a scholarship.
“Being overlooked has always been my story and I’m going to continue to make it my story,” he said. “Just keep working. Never arrive. Just keep proving it.”
There’s nothing you can say to Ford that will discourage him from pursuing and achieving his goal of playing in the National Football League, a goal Ford will pursue if he is drafted Friday night or Saturday or starts the journey with a free-agent invitation.
“I think you should take me because I’m very versatile,” Ford said. “Whatever you need me to do, I get the job done.
“That’s just always been my story, wherever I’ve been playing or whatever position. I’ve just always made it work. I just put in those extra hours or add that extra weight or the extra time to do what I have to do to get the job done.”
Yes, he has. Yes, he will.
For most of the last two months, Ford has been in South Florida, staying with his cousin, former U of L star Devante Parker. He has followed the workout regimen Parker has used over his 8-season NFL career with the Dolphins and Patriots.
Ford concentrated on improving his core strength, footwork, agility and speed at the House of Athlete performance center.
He will be in somebody’s camp next month. It might be as drafted prospect selected Saturday on the final day of the NFL Draft or it might be as an invited free agent.
He will be there, blocking everybody that he is told to block, running routes he is told to run and volunteering for special teams.
Ford performed during the Cardinals’ Pro Day last month. A handful of teams interviewed him. Several called with more questions. The Los Angeles Chargers dispatched a scout for an individual workout. The 49ers, Saints and Broncos showed extra interest.
At 6 feet 1 inch tall, Ford is 2 to 4 inches shorter than the textbook NFL tight end. At 220 pounds, he is 15 to 35 pounds lighter than the NFL believes a tight end must be to block powerful guys on the edge of defensive schemes.
“The measureables,” Ford said, when asked what critics always tell him.
Height. Weight. Hand size. Wingspan. There are other items on the list.
There is one thing that is not on the list: Measuring Marshon Ford from his left ventricle to his right atrium.
“It’s all statistics,” Ford said. “They always say, ‘He’s not this or he’s not that.’
“But if you’ve got that heart, they can’t take that from you.”
Some guys trying to grind their way into the NFL have never been told they were not good enough. Falling in the NFL Draft or not being selected is the first time they have been snubbed.
Ford conquered that issue long ago. He smiles when somebody tells him what he cannot do.
This is a kid who played on the same AAU basketball team with Romeo Langford and could have earned a Division I scholarship in that sport.
Ford said that former U of L coach Chris Mack invited him to join the Cardinals basketball team for the 2020-21 season. He had to decline the invitation, at the urging of former U of L football coach Scott Satterfield, because Ford needed shoulder surgery before the 2021 football season.
“I would have been happy to play,” Ford said. “I think I could have helped the team, just do whatever they needed me to do.”
Days before Ford thought he would have to settle for an opportunity to play at the FCS level, he accepted a preferred walk-on spot that recruiting coordinator Pete Nochta offered at Louisville.
Bobby Petrino’s staff was not sure what to do with him. Brian VanGorder, the Cards’ defensive coordinator, directed Ford to practice with the linebackers, a position he also played at Ballard.
One problem with keeping Ford on defense: He had the hands and agility of a receiver. People in camp noticed how Ford kept catching everything. He was moved to offense.
His status as a walk-on lasted one semester. He started 13 games as a freshman in 2019 — and 34 more the next three seasons.
In an offense that never featured the tight end or exceptional quarterback play, Ford finished his career as a Cardinal with 127 catches for 1,585 yards and 18 touchdowns. Among U of L tight ends, Ford’s career number ranks second in touchdowns (to Ibn Green) and fourth in catches and yards. Find a more productive former walk-on.
Ford had an opportunity to play a fifth COVID season for the Cardinals. Ford said that at least three FBS programs, including two that are on Louisville’s schedule for the 2023 season, asked him to transfer into their programs to increase his exposure.
He considered it, but Ford declined.
It was time for Marshon Ford to show the world that he can achieve something skeptics do not believe he can achieve — play in the National Football League.
“I’ve got a job to do,” Ford said. “And I’ve got to finish it.”
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