Georgia Tech's Profile for Derrick Morgan

Derrick Morgan completed a junior season that earned him ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors, as well as first team AP All-American. The Coatesville, PA, native had 55 tackles (39 solos), including 18.5 for loss and 12.5 sacks. He also forced 2 fumbles and recovered 2 more. Morgan played sparingly behind Darrell Robertson and Michael Johnson as a true freshman, and then shared the spotlight with Johnson (and outplayed him) as a sophomore. As a junior, he was the player that defenses keyed on, but he still continued to improve and deliver outstanding efforts each week.

Morgan possesses outstanding size at 6040 and 275. Has the bulk and strength to shed blocks and defend against the run. Solid lower-body strength allows him to hold the point of attack and good hands let him disengage from offensive tackles. He's also a relentless pass rusher who uses exceptional athleticism to get to the QB. He plays with his hand on the ground and also standing up and has proven effective in both situations. He has unparalleled explosiveness and speed (rumors of 4.5s?) to beat the linemen to the outside, and can also split the gap and break through double-teams with his power and want-to. He also has a variety of pass-rushing moves in his pocket, and uses them with great effectiveness. Some feel he has the athleticism to be considered as an OLB in a 34 system and has exhibited his ability to be a dangerous pass-rusher from the edge and also drop into coverage.

While Morgan can drop back into coverage, he's going to struggle in that regard if asked to do much of it. He needs to really work on his conditioning as he's shown a tendency to wear down as the game goes on (and the season as well, although this was more the case in prior years than this one). He's only had two years as a starter and has not been nearly as dominant against the better LTs (Bulaga, Fox, Boling, Wang) this season.

Morgan should emerge as the top DE prospect for the 2010 NFL Draft, making him a likely top 10 pick. His versatility and skills at rushing the passer and stopping the rush help his cause.

User: NinerFan85
Date/Time: 12/8/2009 - 11:15PM CST
Predicted Round: Round 1

Best DE in the draft by far.

---

User: vicdemize
Date/Time: 12/8/2009 - 1:16PM CST
Predicted Round: Round 1

Props to consensus for seeing what many are yet to see in Morgan. All the hype will surround pysical freaks like Greg Hardy and Carlos Dunlap. What Morgan brings is good fundamentals, good awareness and a team first attitude. I think some GM will fall in love with him at the combine/interview. When all the dust settles after march I think Morgan will be the first 4-3 DE drafted in 2010. Corey Wooton will challenge him for first DE taken, as I believe Wooton is the first 3-4 end selected

---

Your Projected NFL Draft Round: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Undrafted

Your Comments on Derrick Morgan: