Scouting Report Physically Morgan certainly looks the part of an NFL defenseive end. He's got nice bulk which really helps him hold up in the run game. He keeps his butt low and head up and does a solid job engaging a lineman, and then breaking away. He's a pretty complete player with nice while not outstanding skills at anything. Sort of a jack of all trades, master of none. I will say that he plays with an explosion and first step rare in a player his size. One thing that helps him especially in a pass rush setting is he has backup moves beyond the bulls rush which for a 20 year old player is a nice plus. On the downside, I question his ceiling. He almost looks maxed out to me and if that's the case, I'm not sure how great he can be in the NFL beyond a rush specialist. He is a good tackler, and shows nice pursuit in run support.
Draft Status-In a shallow pool for 4-3 DEs, Morgan gets the top slot by default. He seems to be getting a lot more than I am giving him, but he looks to be zeroing in on a top 20 pick. I am going to go back and watch him again, but I guess I just don't see top 20 pick in his play.
Final Analysis-Morgan is sort of a mystery to me. Normally I trust what I see 100% but with Morgan I second guess myself. Yes, he has ideal size and is a good explosive football player. But his conditioning is a little questionable, and I am not sold on his effort. He's quick but not fast, and explosive but isn't dominant. He's strong, really strong, so you'd think he'd be a better run defender. I hope I am wrong but something about this kid just doesn't feel right to me.
Reminds me of: Lawrence Jackson, DE Seattle-Jackson is a nice player. He's never going to lead the league in sacks, but has a limited upside and will be a nice not elite player in this league for a long time. I think Morgan is a similar kind of player and should see success in the NFL.
