Larry Warford III is an American football guard for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League.
Education
Born in San Diego, California to an African American father and a Samoan mother, Warford attended Oceanside High School during his freshman and sophomore year. After Warford"s father retired from the United States Navy, his family moved to Richmond, Kentucky, where he attended Madison Central High School and became a two-year all-state honoree.
Career
He was considered one of the best guard prospects in his class, and was drafted by the Lions in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kentucky. By his sophomore year, he had earned a starting job as offensive tackle, protecting quarterback Jordan Wynn.
One of his teammates on the offensive line was Brian Schwenke.
In his senior year, he was named a first-team all-state selection by the Associated Press and Louisville Courier-Journal. Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Warford was listed as the Number.
30 guard prospect in his class, behind Chance Warmack (Number 20) and Alvin Bailey (Number 27). Warford chose Kentucky over Auburn and Louisville.
Warford attended the University of Kentucky, where he played for the Kentucky Wildcats football team from 2009 to 2012.
He started his career mostly as a reserve at right guard, appearing in 10 games, before earning a starting spot his sophomore year. He would go on to start 37 consecutive games for the Wildcats, and earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference (Securities and Exchange Commission) honors in three consecutive seasons. Warford started all 16 regular-season games as a rookie for the Detroit Lions in 2013.
2013 NFL Draft
Warford was selected by the Detroit Lions in the third round, with the 65th overall pick, of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Detroit Lions
He signed his rookie contract with the Lions on May 9, 2013. Financial terms were not disclosed.
In his rookie season, Warford became an immediate starter at right guard for the Lions, and he did not give up a sack the entire 2013 season.