Kaylon Nakia Ford Jr. (born November 19, 1995) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). Ford was a standout at

Hilton Head Island High School Hilton Head Island High School (shortened to Hilton Head High, HHIHS, or HHH) is a State school#United States, public high school within the Beaufort County School District, located in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, United States. The high s ...

. He initially committed to the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

but changed his commitment when coach Charlie Strong left Louisville to take the head coaching job at the University of Texas. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, where he was the 2017 Big 12 Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year, and signed with the Seahawks as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2018.

College career

Ford attended the University of Texas and played for the Longhorns from 2014 to 2017. In his freshman year Ford played in 7 games and had 9 total tackles and 1 tackle for loss. He improved in his sophomore year tallying a total of 39 tackles, 6 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 10 games. In his junior year he had a college career high 54 total tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss through 12 games. In his senior year, Ford had his best year as he racked up a total of 31 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks, earning him the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year award.

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

Ford signed with the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

as an

following the

2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...

. He made the Seahawks' 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie. He made his NFL debut in Week 2 against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

. He made his first NFL start in Week 13 against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

. He appeared in 11 games in his rookie season. He finished with 21 total tackles (13 solo, 8 combined). In the 2019 season, Ford appeared in 15 games and started 14. He finished with .5 sacks, 32 total tackles, one pass defensed, and one fumble recovery. In the 2020 season, Ford started in all 16 games. He finished with two sacks, 40 total tackles, and one forced fumble. The Seahawks placed a second-round

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...

tender on Ford on March 17, 2021. The Seahawks later signed him to a two-year contract extension. In the 2021 season, Ford started in all 17 games. He finished with two sacks, 53 total tackles, and one pass defensed. In the 2022 season, Ford started in all 17 games. He finished with three sacks, 35 total tackles, and two passes defensed.

Buffalo Bills

On May 2, 2023, Ford signed a one-year contract with the

References

External links

Seattle Seahawks bioTexas Longhorns bio
1995 births Living people People from Hilton Head, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina American football defensive tackles Texas Longhorns football players Seattle Seahawks players Buffalo Bills players {{Defensive-lineman-1990s-stub