Kaylon Nakia "Poona" Ford Jr. (born November 19, 1995) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...

, earning Big 12 Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year honors in 2017. He 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

in 2018.

Early life

Ford attended

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

. He initially committed to the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

but changed his commitment when coach

Charlie Strong Charles Rene Strong (born August 2, 1960) is an American football coach who is the current defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He recently served as the Head coach, assistant head coach and Li ...

left Louisville to take the head coaching job at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

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 Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

and 1

tackle for loss The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

. 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 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

Defensive Lineman of the Year award.

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

Ford signed with the

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 southwest of Dallas; it was ...

. 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. 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 and nicknamed the 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 ...

. 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 some sports leagues, such as the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the term ...

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

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

Los Angeles Chargers

On March 16, 2024, Ford signed with the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

. He was named a starter to begin the year, and finished the season starting all 17 games while recording 39 tackles, three sacks, five pass deflections and one interception.

Los Angeles Rams

On March 13, 2025, Ford signed a three-year, $27.6 million contract with the

References

External links

Los Angeles Rams bioTexas Longhorns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Poona 1995 births Living people Sportspeople 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 Los Angeles Chargers players Los Angeles Rams players