Auburn safety Rudy Ford is a very interesting NFL Draft prospect. On one hand, some analysts have regularly projected the former Tiger as a mid-round pick in the 2017 class, while others (headlined by CBS Sports) see him as a prospect that is closer to the fringe of potentially being undrafted. However, Ford did wonders for his draft stock with an out of this world 40-yard dash time at Auburn's Pro Day.
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If you don't blink, you might see Rudy Ford blazing by with a 40 in the 4.3 range at @AuburnFootball #AuburnProDay pic.twitter.com/s9uaCIQFDr
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) March 10, 2017
It is plain to see how fast Ford is moving in the video above and, for more evidence, we turn to the numbers.
Auburn DB Rudy Ford's official 2nd time at 40-yard dash: 4.31.
— Matthew Stevens (@matthewcstevens) March 10, 2017
Some unofficial Auburn 40 times:
Rudy Ford 4.38
Jeremy Johnson 4.77
Josh Holsey 4.49
Tony Stevens 4.52
Mon Adams 4.87
Marcus Davis 4.53— AUBlog (@AUBlog) March 10, 2017
Rudy Ford, the most underrated prospect in the draft, just ran 4.25 at Auburn Pro Day, 4 days after he was told he wasn't healthy at combine
— Blake Baratz (@blakebaratz) March 10, 2017
The notion that a player that "wasn't healthy" at the recent NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis could run like this seems crazy but Ford definitely sent a message with this performance. It should be noted that Pro Day situations are often (much) more favorable for measurables than the combine, but Ford's explosiveness probably should not be in question after a showing like this.
Just how much his stock will rise after an explosive 40-yard dash time remains to be seen, but any thought that Rudy Ford wouldn't be a lock to even be drafted in late April is probably out the window at this point in the process.
