Hot Take Friday: Paris Ford Will Only Play One More Season at Pitt

Welcome back for another segment of "Hot Take Fridays." This week we are coming in hot with our take that Paris Ford will only play one more season at Pitt. No, we do not think he is going to transfer. No, we do not think he is going to be kicked off the team. We think Paris is going to enter the NFL Draft after the 2019 season. Since he redshirted his freshman year, Ford will be eligible for the draft after this season as he will have completed three academic years. So, why do we think he will go to the NFL? Let's defend our take....

post-gazette.com

Spring Football Performance

At the end of spring football practice, Paris was named a Conway Award winner, which goes to one of the most improved players during spring practice, and his improvement really showed during the spring game. Every Pitt fan has been waiting to see Ford's athleticism out in the open on the field at Heinz, and we finally got a taste of it in the spring game. 

During the spring game, Paris was the best defensive player on the field, and that includes a defense with a lot of talent. Every single play that he was in the game, Paris was making an impact and you could not miss him on the field. He finished the game with 7 tackles and an INT in limited time, and he will only do more as he will be a starter this coming season.

At the end of the spring game, Coach Duzz announced that Paris will be the starter at boundary safety going into fall camp, and that is not something Duzz does regularly. Duzz is all about going into camp with players competing for positions, but he was so impressed by Paris that he named him the starter in APRIL! Duzz knows that Paris is a special player, and he is going to have a special season. 

Physical Skills and Confidence

At 6' 0" and a modest 200+ pounds, Paris has the size and frame to play in the NFL (although his size is not overwhelming), but that is not what will impress scouts. His speed and quick decision making on the field is what will impress NFL scouts, along with his confidence. Paris is so confident in his abilities that he tweeted out in March that he will be an All-American this season. I do not know if that is going to happen, but I love the confidence he has in himself. He not only has confidence in himself, but also his team, with his last words to the media after the spring game being that fans should expect an "ACC Championship" this season. That's the kind of stuff you got to love as a fan.

This is probably our hottest take to date specifically because Paris has not started a game in his first two seasons; however, it seems like Paris finally has put everything together and he is ready to take the ACC and the nation by storm. 

Thanks for reading!

-Aaron, TGYK