The Philadelphia Eagles partially built their Super Bowl roster by selecting talented players who fell to them in the NFL draft. Brett Veach and the Kansas City Chiefs made several impressive picks in recent years but also overthought some decisions.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish standout Benjamin Morrison presents the Chiefs with a potential value selection.
Morrison entered the 2024 season as a media consensus first-round pick but required season-ending hip surgery after just six games. The latest injury is part of Morrison’s extensive medical history, which includes arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder during the spring of 2024 and a high school hip injury.
Morrison’s measurables and testing further complicate his profile. Analysts don’t expect him to weigh in above 6’0″ or 190 lbs. Evaluators also raise questions about his top speed and explosiveness. If Morrison is healthy enough to participate at the NFL Combine, a strong showing would significantly stabilize his stock.
Morrison is patient at the line of scrimmage in press and showcases the footwork and hip mobility to mirror and match receivers. He doesn’t bite on action early in the release and quickly attacks the receiver with his hands. He showed greater willingness in 2023 and 2024 to use the sideline as an extra defender and drive outside releases out of bounds.
Morrison’s ability to get in phase on inside releases and stick his hand into the receiver’s pocket to break up slants sets him apart from many other corners in the class who play significant snaps in man coverage. He closes quickly to contest catches and flashes enough recovery speed to make up for the occasional false step. He times his contact at the catch point well to disrupt receptions.
Notre Dame CB, Benjamin Morrison would’ve been a top 15 pick if not for a hip injury in 2024.
He had 9 INTs and 18 PBUs in only 31 career college games.
I usually try avoid players coming off injury, but I’d run to the podium if he was there at 23. pic.twitter.com/LS9q77l13g
— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) February 13, 2025
Morrison’s punch placement in press coverage needs to improve. He plays too high in his backpedal, revealing some tightness in his hips when he transitions. Morrison allows some separation at the top of the stem on comebacks and curls. He developed the bad habit of hugging receivers on those routes and relies on tugging or hooking receivers on routes breaking over the middle of the field.
Morrison’s athletic profile might project best to a zone-dominant scheme. His zone discipline and flashes of reading the quarterback’s eyes to jump routes suggest the transition won’t take long for the young corner.
Morrison proves challenging to project for several reasons. He falls below traditional size thresholds and has a significant injury history. However, the stretches of elite play he put on tape in 2022 and 2023 suggest he might still perform at the level of a top-50 prospect in this class.