Name: Drew Morgan
School: Arkansas
Position fit: Slot receiver who can dabble on the outside as a “Z”
Stats to know: Morgan’s catch rate of 72.2 percent when lined up in the slot (35.4 percent of snaps) ranked first in the SEC and his 2.12 yards per route run ranked seventh.
What he does best:
- Great route-runner. Shows quickness in and out of his breaks and rarely telegraphs them. Can run routes at short, intermediate and deep levels.
- Solid hands, dropped only two passes all year on 69 catchable throws.
- Top-notch footwork, quick off his release and doesn’t waste space with his cuts. Has some of the best double and triple move game tape in the draft class, had defenders completely lost.
- Smart receiver, ran option routes and adjusted routes to get open against different coverages.
- Plays faster than his 4.74 40-yard dash time would indicate.
- Knows how to change speeds to get open against man coverage.
- Shifty with the ball in his hands, can make guys completely whiff on tackles.
- Extremely tough, has no fear going over the middle. Took some huge hits and popped right back up.
Biggest concern:
- Runs incredibly upright. Probably the biggest reason for his slow 40 time.
- Is very easily re-routed because of his upright running form. If a defender gets even a hand on him it’ll knock him off balance or off his route. Press coverage will be a big issue.
- Not physical at the catch point. Will not win many contested catches or downfield jump balls.
- While he’s faster than his Combine time would indicate, he may not be fast enough to separate on pure speed against NFL defenders.
Player comparison: Rishard Matthews, Tennessee Titans
While Matthews has a bigger frame than Morgan, they’re both 6-foot with below-average speed and solid change-of-direction skills.
Bottom line: Morgan has a lot of the skills and tools needed to be a solid receiver in the NFL but there is one big issue. His upright running style is the root of all his negatives. He gets pushed around both at the line and in his routes because of how straight up he is, and it’s a big reason he can’t win contested catches. If he could figure out a way to fix that, he could easily develop into a big-time slot receiver and possibly even move outside to the “Z” receiver role. But even if he doesn’t fix that, his savvy route-running and quick footwork should allow him to provide competition and maybe even playing time in the slot as a rookie.
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