Mike Morris NFL Draft Profile

 

 

Mike Morris Scouting Report: EDGE Rusher, Michigan Wolverines

 

 

2023 NFL Draft Measurements

Mike Morris 40-Yard Dash Time – 4. 85 (estimate)

6’6” / 292 lbs.

 

 

Mike Morris NFL Draft Profile

Mike Morris is a former 3-star recruit out of American Heritage High School in Delray Beach, Florida. Given his incredible size now, in high school, Morris stood at 6’5” and weighed 255 lbs. According to 247sports, Morris was the 59th-best player in the state of Florida in the 2019 recruiting class. He was also the 41st-best strongside defensive end in the nation. While achieving this status, Morris gained recognition from several power-five schools around the nation. Twelve of these schools offered Morris a scholarship to play for their program. Some of these schools include Florida, Miami, Florida State, Tennessee, and Michigan. After only visiting Tennessee and Michigan, Morris decided that he wanted to play for Jim Harbaugh.

After arriving at Michigan, Morris did not play significant snaps until the 2021 season. During this season, he played 10 games where he only had 360 snaps. According to ESPN, in those 360 snaps, he only had 7 solo tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1 interception, and 1 pass deflection. As a senior at Michigan in 2022, he had the same amount of snaps but was significantly more productive. He had 16 solo tackles, 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 3 pass deflections.

Before I get started with his player analysis, DraftDive would like to shout out NFL Draft fan Cheyenne Murdock. Cheyenne is the individual who recommended that we write a report on Mike Morris. After getting the recommendation, we jumped at the opportunity because we love to make our fans happy!

 

Strengths

 

Size and Strength

Standing at 6’6” and weighing 292 lbs., Morris is one of the biggest edge rushers in the nation. He also has an incredible wingspan which allows him to be the first one to engage in contact off the snap. Morris also uses his wingspan to keep blockers far away from his body throughout his rush. This allows him to maintain leverage throughout his rush as well as drive the blocker upward. When the ball carrier is coming his way, he uses his arm length to disengage the block and get his hands on the ball carrier.

 

High Motor

From the snap to the whistle, Morris shows that he always puts 100% into every play. On run plays, he shows that he has the aggression needed to shed blocks and clog lanes. If the ball is run to the opposite side of the line, he shows he can chase down the ball carrier and make a play. On passing plays, Morris does a good job of fighting off the blocker’s hands. This allows him to maintain leverage throughout his rush and apply pressure on the QB. He will also not stop chasing down the QB until the ball is released or the whistle is blown.

 

Hand Usage

One of the first things that stood out to me about Morris’ game is how violent his hands are. When engaging in contact, Morris does a good job of fighting off the blocker’s hands. This allows him to gain and maintain leverage throughout his rush. It also allows him to use a variety of moves to apply pressure on the QB. Morris is also very good at disengaging blocks when he needs to. If the ball carrier is coming his way, he uses his power to move the opposing lineman and clog a run lane. His long arms also allow him to get his hand on the ball carrier when engaged in a block. Then, he can disengage and bring them down for a loss of yardage.

 

Versatility

Mike Morris is one of the most versatile edge rushers in the nation. This is a big reason why he was the best defensive lineman in the Big Ten this season. When rushing the passer, he shows amazing initial quickness out of a 2-point stance. This allows him to quickly run the arc and apply pressure on the QB. He also has a good variety of pass-rushing moves that allow him to shed blocks. Although his best move is his bull rush, he also has an effective swim move. This allows him to quickly run the arc and quickly cut back to the inside.

In the run game, he shows incredible vision to diagnose the run prior to the snap. When the ball is snapped, he does a good job of quickly engaging in contact. This allows him to get in the right position to make a stop if the ball comes to him. If the ball is run in the opposite direction, he has an incredibly high motor to chase after the ball carrier.

 

Weaknesses

 

Pad Level

The biggest concern that I have surrounding Mike Morris’ game is his pad level. When the ball is snapped he has a tendency to get too vertical very early in the play. This really takes away his ability to be explosive off the snap and knock blockers back at the point of attack. It also takes away his ability to bend the edge and get around the blocker.

 

Body Lean

Another concern that I have about Morris is that he is too stiff during his pass rush. This really hinders his ability to win around the edge using his rip technique. As well as other pass-rush moves that require him to keep his pad level and hips low. Going forward, I think that Morris needs to work on his hip and torso flexibility. This will not only help his body lean and pad level, but it will make his moves more effective.

 

Mike Morris Draft Stock

Nflmockdraftdatabase has Mike Morris ranked as the 112th-best prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. This means that he will likely get drafted in the 4th round. Personally, I think that he could get drafted in the late 3rd round or early 4th due to the upside that he has.

 

Final Thoughts on Mike Morris Scouting Report

Overall, Mike Morris was one of the best defenders in the Big Ten this season. He is very versatile due to the fact he can line up on either side of the line. Morris is also effective against the run and the passing game. His variety of moves allows him to be unpredictable and get past the blockers with ease. In order for Morris to be effective in the NFL, he needs to work on lowering his pad level. This would make his pass rush moves even more dangerous in the NFL. Also, he would really benefit from improving his body lean so he can consistently win around the edge.

 

Mike Morris Player Comparison

His play style reminds me a lot of John Franklin-Myers when he was at Stephen F. Austin.

 

Mike Morris Scouting Report and Player Profile Analyst – Matthew Lewis