Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech

By Kyle Rota

Name: Derrick Morgan
Position: DE
School: Georgia Tech
Height: 6030
Weight: 266
40: 4.72

Athleticism: Morgan is a very good athlete for an end his size. He does not excel at any one area, but has above-average burst, pursuit, speed and leverage. His change of direction could be better, but it is at worst average for a starter in the NFL. 6.5

Play vs Run: Morgan is generally very good against the run. Morgan is one of the few accomplished pass rushers who is able to get to the quarterback without constantly taking himself out of position against the run. He has good strength and leverage, and is able to provide a jolt with his hands to disengage. Great on outside runs. I’d like to see him improve at the POA, especially when double teamed, but overall he does a very solid job. 6.5

Play vs Pass: You’re going to get tired of me saying this, but again Morgan is very good against the pass. He has a variety of moves, a good nose for the ball, and flashes the ability to get off the snap quickly. He creates a lot more pressure than his impressive sack total would indicate, really being a disruptive force. Strong bull-rush and speed rush skills. I see a lot of double-digit sack seasons in Morgan’s NFL career. Also pretty good in coverage for a DE, especially for a potential strongside end. 7.0

Quickness off Snap/Explosive First Steps: Morgan is inconsistent here, as he rarely pins his ears back. Even when he is playing the run, Morgan gets a solid jump off the snap and has good foot quicks, but when he pins his ears back he flashes great quickness off the snap. Great snap anticipation either way, rarely gets a bad jump. 6.5

Closing Burst: This is one of the few areas where Morgan is merely average. He is a good athlete, but doesn’t seem to have an extra gear when chasing down the QB – quite possibly because he is going at 100% most of the time anyways. 6.0

Pursuit: Morgan is a natural runner who gives excellent effort, but he doesn’t have elite speed. He still earns an above average grade here, but really it’s an extension of his effort. 6.5

Pass Rush Moves: Morgan has a wide variety of effective pass rush moves that he is comfortable and effective using. One of his better areas. 7.0

Speed Rush: Morgan is fast enough to simply run around some tackles when he gets a good jump. 6.5

Bull Rush: Because of his combination of leverage, motor, and strength, Morgan provides a strong bull rush. 6.5

Hand Play: Morgan gives a very nice jolt when he gets his long arms into the OLM. However, I’d like to see him use those arms to keep hands off of his body, as too often Morgan has to work to disengage (which he does well). 6.0

Leverage: Morgan has the ability to play with outstanding leverage, but as he tires he is susceptible to playing a little higher and loses some of his power. Still, I think spending less time on the field will help him maintain what can be excellent leverage. This grade could end up being a 7.0 if Morgan is kept fresh. 6.5

Strength: Morgan has great upper-body strength for a DE, no matter where he lines up. His upper body strength (and long arms) are big reasons why Morgan’s pass-rush moves work so well. However, he could use more lower-body strength to anchor. 6.0

Anchor at POA: Morgan is not a problem here, but he could improve. He’d be well above average as a right defensive end, but occasionally Morgan struggles to anchor, especially when double teamed. 6.0

Motor: Probably his best attribute, Morgan has a great motor. He’s a high-effort player who’s competitive drive compliments his physical talents. 7.0

Coverage: I normally don’t even grade this, but GT put Morgan is space several times in the games I’ve seen. He has surprisingly good instincts in coverage for a DE, and he’s not a bad athlete. I’m not sure if he could transition well in a 3-4, but he’d be very good for a 4-3 end. 6.5

Tackling/Hit Power: Solid tackler who is capable of providing a jolt when he hits someone. Pretty solid in space and rarely misses a tackle. 6.5

Instincts: Morgan does a pretty good job locating the ball and has good snap anticipation. He plays his position smartly. 6.5

Errors: In 6 games, I have Morgan jumping offsides once. Doesn’t appear have issues playing smart football.

Intangibles: Considering how hard he plays and his reputation as a great leader, I think Morgan is likely to be a very hard worker who won’t give his team any headaches. Has never missed a game due to injury or suspension at GT. 7.0

Summary: I was not expecting to like Morgan as much as I did. However, he combines above-average athleticism and technique with good instincts and an excellent motor, and won my respect. Three important things stand out: How often Morgan was on the field (rarely subbed out and GT constantly lost TOP), how many plays Morgan created for others, and how well few flaws Morgan has. While Morgan does not have the incredible physical skills one likes in a top-10 pick, his well-rounded game will make him an impact end in the NFL.

Lastly, one misconception I wish to clear up: Morgan did not struggle at all in the Orange Bowl against Iowa. He did not have the numbers, but Iowa wanted nothing to do with him and changed their game plan to avoid a Clemson-esque meltdown. Despite that, Morgan still flushed Stanzi out of the pocket several times, though his lack of a closing burst meant that some of those scrambles resulted in positive yardage. He had a very good game against Iowa, and did not really struggle against Bulaga either (had at least two pressures against the Iowa LT despite being matched up as the LDE most of the game).

Weighted Grade: 6.5
Actual Grade: 6.7 (the weighted grades are still flawed as they don’t really stress the 7+ grades like I’d like, so this is the important one)