Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns Senior Bowl watch: Auburn safety Johnathan Ford

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:30 p.m. ET

Fansided, Jonathan Goehring/FanSided via Dawg Pound Daily

The Cleveland Browns will be examining many players this week at the Senior Bowl. One which could interest them this upcoming draft is Auburn safety Johnathan Ford.

The Senior Bowl is on Saturday and the Cleveland Browns coaching staff has the opportunity to spend time this week working with players on the South team. This means that the coaches, as well as the organization and fans, will be keeping a close eye on the positions the team needs most during the game.

One of these positions is undeniably the secondary. The Browns made the most of virtually impossible circumstances to work with in pass defense in 2016, as undrafted free agent Briean Boddy-Calhoun and fifth-round draft pick Ed Reynolds helped anchor the unit.

That helped contribute to Cleveland surrendering the 11th most passing yards in the league. The secondary struggled to tackle, Joe Haden had another disappointing injury-filled season, and cornerback Tramon Williams continued to show his age and spent part of the season at safety.

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The secondary will be a top priority this off-season and several defenders on the South team are appealing options. Most notably, Auburn safety Johnathan Ford has the potential to make an immediate impact at the next level.

As a converted running back, Ford played three seasons at safety, starting 34 games. In the very tough SEC conference, the 22-year-old was able to make 176 tackles, including 12.5 tackles for loss. With only two sacks, Ford isn’t much of a pass rush threat. He is, however, a sound tackler.

With the Browns extremely undersized in the secondary, a player with firm tackling technique would be welcomed. Ford has the size needed to play safety and is a player who can consistently tackle with the right form, something that teams value the most.

Drafting a safety would especially make sense for the Browns given their struggles defending the tight end position all season long as large red-zone targets gave this defense fits in 2016.

With a new defensive coordinator in Gregg Williams, a complete overhaul of the secondary could be in order. Looking toward the SEC for help in this area also makes a lot of sense, as the conference is often considered the most similar to the National Football League in all of college football.

Ford is not projected to go in the first three rounds according to NFL.com’s latest mock draft and could fall to Cleveland on the third day of the draft. With the athletic ability of the safety, Ford could be an essential part of the secondary’s revival.