Jerome Ford (born September 12, 1999) is an American professional football running back for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama and Cincinnati. He was selected by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Jerome Ford
refer to caption
Ford with the Browns in 2022
No. 34 – Cleveland Browns
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1999-09-12) September 12, 1999 (age 25)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Armwood
(Seffner, Florida)
College:Alabama (2018–2019)
Cincinnati (2020–2021)
NFL draft:2022 / round: 5 / pick: 156
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2024
Rushing yards:1,028
Rushing average:4.1
Rushing touchdowns:5
Receptions:61
Receiving yards:404
Receiving touchdowns:5
Return yards:723
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Ford attended Armwood High School in Seffner, Florida. He committed to the University of Alabama to play college football.[1]

College career

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Ford played at Alabama in 2018 and 2019.[2] Over the two years he rushed for 151 yards on 31 carries with three touchdowns. In 2020, he transferred to the University of Cincinnati.[3][4] During his first year at Cincinnati in 2020, he played in 10 games as the backup to Gerrid Doaks, rushing for 483 yards on 73 carries with eight touchdowns.[5] In 2021, he became the team's starter.[6][7]

College statistics

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Season Team GP Rushing Receiving
Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
2018 Alabama 4 7 37 5.3 0 0 0 0.0 0
2019 Alabama 4 24 114 4.8 3 2 11 5.5 0
2020 Cincinnati 10 73 483 6.6 8 8 51 6.4 0
2021 Cincinnati 13 215 1,319 6.1 19 21 220 10.5 1
Career 31 319 1,953 6.1 30 31 282 9.1 1

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 10 12 in
(1.79 m)
210 lb
(95 kg)
30 58 in
(0.78 m)
9 18 in
(0.23 m)
4.46 s 1.56 s 2.61 s 4.22 s 7.31 s 31.0 in
(0.79 m)
9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[8][9]

Ford was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round, 156th overall, of the 2022 NFL draft.[10] He suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 and was placed on injured reserve on October 4, 2022.[11] He was activated from injured reserve on November 12, 2022.[12]

In 2023, Ford took over as the starting running back after Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2.[13] Ford finished the season with 813 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 204 rushing attempts, as well as 44 catches for 319 yards and five touchdowns on 63 targets.[14]

NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Kickoff return Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2022 CLE 13 0 8 12 1.5 9 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 30 723 24.1 48 0 0 0
2023 CLE 17 12 204 813 4.0 69 4 44 319 7.3 50 5 1 1
2024 CLE 1 1 12 44 3.7 11 1 6 25 4.2 8 0 0 0
Career 31 13 224 869 3.0 69 5 50 344 3.8 50 5 30 723 24.1 48 0 1 1

Postseason

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Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2023 CLE 1 1 9 17 1.9 7 0 4 15 3.8 11 0 0 0
Career 1 1 9 17 1.9 7 0 4 15 3.8 11 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ Rome, Chandler (December 17, 2017). "Alabama football: Running back Jerome Ford commits to Tide's 2018 recruiting class". The Anniston Star. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Windham, Katie (December 27, 2021). "Jerome Ford's Transfer Journey Coming Full Circle Facing Former Team in CFP". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Clark, Dave (January 14, 2020). "Alabama transfer running back Jerome Ford commits to Cincinnati Bearcats". The Enquirer. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  4. ^ Martin, Tyler (January 14, 2020). "Alabama Running Back Jerome Ford Will Transfer to Cincinnati". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Williams, Justin (October 13, 2020). "Jerome Ford's journey to Bearcats paved by positive early impression". The Athletic. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  6. ^ Williams, Justin (September 17, 2021). "Why Cincinnati's Jerome Ford is happy to let his play do his talking; what to expect versus Indiana". The Athletic. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  7. ^ Jenkins, Keith (October 12, 2021). "Luke Fickell looks to get Cincinnati Bearcats running back Jerome Ford more involved". The Enquirer. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  8. ^ "Jerome Ford Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  9. ^ "Jerome Ford, Cincinnati, RB, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  10. ^ "2022 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  11. ^ Alper, Josh (October 4, 2022). "Browns place Jerome Ford on injured reserve". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  12. ^ "Browns activate RB Jerome Ford, sign DT Roderick Perry II to active roster". ClevelandBrowns.com. November 12, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  13. ^ Owens, Jason (September 20, 2023). "Jerome Ford will take over for Nick Chubb as Browns' No. 1 back; Kareem Hunt reportedly visiting". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  14. ^ "Browns' Jerome Ford: Limited action ahead of playoffs". CBSSports.com. January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
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