The Index · Live

Jay Ward Minnesota Vikings · #24

Safety · 6' 1", 190 lbs · Moultrie, GA · Age 26

Jay Ward is a Safety for the Minnesota Vikings, drafted 134th overall, 2023. In 2026 he recorded 3 tackles.

Minnesota Vikings roster More Safetys

SafetyDrafted 134th overall4-yr veteran

⚖ Quick compare

Analysis by Beau Thoutt · Balladex

◆ Rated

Minnesota Vikings · #24 · Safety

Jay Ward

Season avg3 tkl · 0 sacks · 0 int

Career avg44 tkl · 0 sacks · 0 int

Live win probabilitySeason

No scheduled game — showing season pace. Illustrative.

Tonight's projectionmodel

3tkl

0sacks

0int

LADDER#1122 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXJay Ward · Minnesota VikingsLADDER#1122 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXJay Ward · Minnesota Vikings

Scouting report

Jay Ward — the report card

Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades are percentiles vs every active player at his position.

Safety · Rotation piece · Impact 50

Jay Ward is a Safety for the Minnesota Vikings, drafted 134th overall, 2023. In 2026 he recorded 3 tackles.

C-

Coverage

Ball skills

Run support

C-

Coverage

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

Ball skills

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

Tackling

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

C+

Splash plays

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

C+

Blitz

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

Act II

Where Jay Ward stands

Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.

The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly

Jared Goff Detroit Lions▬

29%

Bryce Young Carolina Panthers▬

23%

Brock Purdy San Francisco 49ers▬

22%

Tyler Shough New Orleans Saints▬

11%

Kirk Cousins Las Vegas Raiders▬

✦ Balladex Consensus: #1065 of 1982 — a blend of the Impact index, current production, career résumé and live search demand. Recomputes as the data does.

Futures & chases

—MVP odds

50Impact index

20Star score

Career scoring average0.0 ppg

Seasons in the index0

Accolades on file0

Stat explorer

Jay Ward — every number, three levels deep

Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.

C+

Tackling

3 TKL

drill in ↓

C+

Pass rush

0.0 SACK

drill in ↓

C-

Coverage

0 PD

drill in ↓

Splash

0 FF

drill in ↓

The engine

How the model sees Jay Ward

Projection = recency-weighted per-season production, nudged along a position aging curve, banded by his year-to-year volatility. No black box — every number shows its work.

Projected 2027 modeled

0–1

int

0–0

tackles

2–21

0–0

games

3–15

Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 4-season history below.

What moves the pd line vs last season

Last season 0 → projected 0 pd

Baseline (recency-weighted)

+0.2

Age curve

+0.0

Net vs last season+0.2 pd

Everything it reads

📊

4 seasons of real box production

every game line, verified

real

⚖

Recency × games weight

recent, healthy years anchor the baseline

auto

📈

Year-over-year trend

his own trajectory, season to season

+dev

🕰

Position aging curve

age 26 — applied to the projection

curve

🏈

Role & usage context

target / carry share and snaps fold in

+ctx

🏥

Availability signal

games last 3: 16 / 17 / 2

health

The real history it trains onsource: Pro-Football-Reference / ESPN · verified

Jay Ward career stats, season by season

Career stats by season
Season	G	Tkl	PD	Sack
2023	17	8	0	0
2024	16	6	1	0
2025	17	27	0	0
2026 in progress · 2 games	2	3	0	0
Career	52	44	1	0.0

Source: Pro-Football-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers the report-card percentiles and the DNA radar — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.

Act III

The Lab

Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.

Gold = award / milestone season · hover any bar. Real season totals.

Player DNA + compssimilarity model

Closest comps

Daniel Thomas 100%Kamal Hadden 100%Keondre Jackson 100%Mike Ford Jr. 100%Miles Killebrew 100%Nic Jones 100%

⚖ Overlay a rival →

Context

Are the Minnesota Vikings built to win?

Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.

11–6proj record

90off index

76def index

+32net

80%playoff odds

63roster

Roster delta · what changed

Offense grades A (90), defense B- (76) by our position-percentile roster model. QB play indexes at 84, pass rush 53, coverage 99.

How his role moves

Projected 11–6 on a 17-game slate — modeled from the current roster's production percentiles, not a calibrated Vegas line. His snaps, target/carry share and usage move with roster health.

Balladex Impact

50 of 99

Rotation piece tier.

Rarity

◆ Rated

Collectible tier.

Résumé

0 accolades

Career honors on file.

Act IV

The Ballad of Jay Ward

Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.

2000-07-13

The beginning

Jay Ward is a Safety for the Minnesota Vikings, in his 4th NFL season.

Minnesota Vikings

Turning pro

Drafted 134th overall, 2023 as a Safety.

true

Jay Ward is a Minnesota Vikings safety, drafted 134th overall, 2023.

Chapter

Across 4 seasons (2023–2026) he has recorded 44 tackles, 0 sacks and 0 interceptions.

Chapter

Most recently he posted 3 tackles, 0 sacks and 0 interceptions in 2026.

▶

Ward's story

The documentary, narrated

Highlights

▶ sheeeeeeeesh jay ward ▶ A big hit from Jay Ward to get the sack on Jaxson Dart 😳 #Giants #Dart #NFL ▶ Jay Ward with a Spectacular Sack vs. Arizona Cardinals

Off the field

Measurables

Active

Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 190 lbs
Draft: 134th overall, 2023
Born: Moultrie, GA
Age: 26
Jersey: #24

Background

Jay Ward is from Moultrie, GA and is 26 years old. He was drafted 134th overall, 2023 and plays safety at 6' 1", 190 lbs.

Over 4 seasons (2023–2026) he has recorded 44 tackles, 0 sacks and 0 interceptions. Ward is currently on the Minnesota Vikings roster.

The person

Jay Ward is a role and nickel defensive back who has recorded 44 tackles with 0 interceptions and 1 passes defensed across 4 seasons (2023–2026).

Coverage production0 career interceptions and 1 passes defensed.

Tackling44 career tackles from the secondary.

Draft pedigree134th overall, 2023.

Durability52 career games played.

Verified profiles & sources

ESPN ESPN ESPN

FAQ

Jay Ward — frequently asked

The questions people ask most about Jay Ward, answered.

What position does Jay Ward play?

Jay Ward is a Safety for the Minnesota Vikings.

When was Jay Ward drafted?

Jay Ward was drafted 134th overall, 2023.

How many seasons has Jay Ward played?

4 (2023–2026).

What are Jay Ward's career stats?

He has recorded 44 tackles, 0 sacks and 0 interceptions.

Jay Ward career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.

Jay Ward Minnesota Vikings · #24

Jay Ward — the report card

Where Jay Ward stands

Jay Ward — every number, three levels deep

How the model sees Jay Ward

Jay Ward career stats, season by season

The Lab

Are the Minnesota Vikings built to win?

The Ballad of Jay Ward

The beginning

Turning pro

true

Chapter

Chapter

Off the field

Jay Ward — frequently asked

Current role & opportunity

Injury history

More Minnesota Vikings players

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