Undrafted Sooner impresses and seals win in NFL preseason debut

Former Oklahoma Sooner Trace Ford wasn’t even supposed to be there, but the New York Giants are sure glad he was. 

After going undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, Ford signed with the Giants and is already impossible to ignore on defense after just one preseason game. Ford, now playing linebacker, tallied four tackles, one solo, and recovered a fumble in his NFL debut in the Giants’ 34-25 win over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. 

Trace Ford’s Giants debut proves he belongs in NFL

Ford’s fumble recovery all but sealed the win for the Giants. With the Giants up 27-25 with 2:35 left, the snap soared over the head of Bills quarterback Shane Buechele. Ford then outran everyone to jump on the ball at the Bills’ 14-yard line. Three plays later, the Giants scored another touchdown and the Bills had just 2:11 left to score nine points. 

Ford had impressed even before the game kicked off, though. It was shared on social media that Ford was the first player on the practice field on the Giants’ opening day of training camp. He also had to survive rookie mini camp to get to this point. 

That kind of effort is required to stick on an NFL roster, though, after starting only one game in two seasons on OU’s defensive line. However, OU head coach Brent Venables mentioned on multiple occasions that Ford had the ability to play at the next level, mainly because of his versatility. Primarily a defensive end in college, Ford also played cheetah last season despite being listed at 6-foot-2 and 252 pounds. He has since converted to outside linebacker in the NFL. 

Ford started his career at Oklahoma State, where he was for four years and battled multiple injuries before transferring across Bedlam lines before the 2023 season. 

The Giants’ next preseason game will be against the New York Jets at 6 p.m. CT Saturday on NFL Network. 

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