Ken Norton Jr.: Seahawks DT Poona Ford a 'Coach's Dream,' Evolving Into Complete Player

After earning a starting role in 2019, Ford had extremely high expectations heading into his third season and up to this point, he's delivered as one of Seattle's top performers through the first 12 games of the 2020 season.

Following a stellar 2019 campaign, the Seahawks were counting on defensive tackle Poona Ford to take another positive step forward and the third-year pro has done exactly that thus far, producing at an elite level through 12 games.

Despite going undrafted during the 2018 NFL Draft, Ford hasn’t wasted any time proving his critics wrong and quickly became an integral part of Seattle’s defensive line. Though the 25-year old isn’t a finished product by any means, the team's coaching staff couldn’t be happier with his development over a short period of time.

In particular, Ford has found a way to take his game to another level in 2020, which is quite impressive considering the unusual obstacles this season has brought due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Referencing his progress, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. admitted he’s been very pleased with the Texas product’s performance and his growth into a complete NFL defensive tackle.

“Poona has just been, as you can tell, continued to develop into a first-down, second-down, and third-down player,” Norton Jr. discussed. “He never gets tired, he never says a word, but he’s always there for you. Watching him play, watching him develop, and watching his confidence grow - I wouldn’t say we did anything differently - Poona is just growing up. He’s growing into the player he wants to be.”

After signing with Seattle as an undrafted free agent, Ford knew he’d have to work his tail off to make a solid impression and earn consistent playing time during his rookie season. As a result of his hard work, the 2017 Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year award winner earned a spot on the active roster out of his first training camp and made his first career NFL start later in the season.

Maintaining the same work ethic throughout his entire career, the former Longhorn has been working tirelessly to improve his craft each season, which certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed in the Pacific Northwest. Working with him every step of the way, Norton Jr. discussed how the emerging star’s hard work on and off the field has helped him enjoy so much success during his third season in the league.

“He puts in the work, he studies, he works hard with the D-line group and D-line coaches,” Norton Jr. explained. “He wants to be a really good player and he’s going to force it. He’s doing everything he can to stay on the field and be an impact player. The work he puts in is showing up on the field.”

Through 12 games in 2020, Ford has started in each of those contests, producing career-highs in quarterback pressures (16), hurries (11), hits (nine), tackles for loss (seven), and sacks (2.0). Additionally, he’s also generated 30 total tackles, 17 solo tackles, and a 5.4 percent pressure rate.

In comparison to his teammates, the South Carolina native is currently tied with the second-most tackles for loss, tied for the third-most quarterback hits, tied for the fifth-most sacks, and he’s recorded the 11th-most solo tackles among all defensive players, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Making a strong impact in the trenches, Ford has been able to generate plenty of havoc in the backfield this season and has also created pass rushing lanes for his teammates to blitz through up the middle. Referencing his outstanding mental toughness, Norton Jr. mentioned how the explosive defensive tackle makes his job much easier and explained why he can't wait to see how much better he gets in the future.

“He gets into the backfield, he holds the center off so Bobby [Wagner] can make his plays,” Norton Jr. detailed. “He’s beat up and hurt and you don’t even know it. He’s happy or sad and you can’t even tell. He’s just one of those coach's dream players, just works hard, [has] discipline, cares a lot, extremely loyal, extremely durable, and dependable.”

“He’s still a young man, there’s still so much more out there for him to grow and I’m excited about what’s in store for him.”