Jammal Lord, S
Nebraska
Numbers: 6022/225 pounds/4.57 forty-speed
2005 stats: None
The player: I used to love to watch Lord run the option at Nebraska, but even then it was pretty clear he’d never make it in the NFL as a quarterback. He didn’t really have much confidence in his scattershot arm and gave up on passing plays more quickly than any big-time quarterback I’ve ever watched. It didn’t matter very much to the Huskers though, because Lord ran as well and as creatively as any halfback. Fast, powerful and blessed with superior vision and moves, Lord looked like Michael Vick without the arm. He’s also a smart and tough young man who’s not afraid to throw a block or take on a defensive lineman for the extra inches needed for a crucial first down.
But instead of making him a halfback or a wide receiver or even a tight end (and he had the potential to be great at any of those positions), the powers that be in the NFL (okay, the Texans) decided he should be a safety, even though he’d never played on the defensive side of the ball since he was a sophomore in high school. Not surprisingly, it didn’t work right away. After a couple of years of not really being part of Houston’s plans, during which he played just one game, Lord found himself out of work.
How he fits: While Lord seems very much to be a guy brought in as an after-thought once the Colts got thin at safety due to injuries, he could surprise. While it’s true that he did nothing of substance in Houston, he was thrown into a strange position and received less-than-spectacular coaching. If the two years of working at the position and the better tutoring he’ll receive in Indy take hold, Lord could become an NFL-quality safety. Still, I’d rather see him get a chance at halfback, where he belongs.
Player he reminds me of: Kerry Rhodes, Jets, as a safety but it’s a stretch. As an athlete, he’s more like former Georgia quarterback DJ Shockley who’s now with Atlanta.
Photo: Brian Bahr/Getty Images
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