Jordan Morgan, OL, Arizona 2024 1st Round Pick, #25

[Pckfn23]

2019: Played in six games with two starts at LT as a true freshman.
2020: Began his sophomore year with two starts on the blind side, as well, but missed the team's final three games of the shortened season due to injury.
2021: Started the final 11 games at LT, even though he played through a high-ankle sprain suffered in fall camp.
2022: Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 Conference. Started the first 10 games at LT before missing the final two contests with a torn ACL.
2023: First-team All-Pac-12 Conference. Started 12 games at LT.

-- by Chad Reuter

Overview
Three-year starter who displayed his resilience and work ethic by coming back and playing good football after suffering a torn ACL late in the 2022 season. Morgan is both fluid and flexible in space, with the ability to help spring running plays with second-level blocks and play-side lead blocking. He fails to secure back-side cutoffs too frequently, but improving his pad level and landmarks might fix that issue. His punch approach diminishes his pass protection length and causes him to lose connection at the top of the rush. He will need to get his hands and feet synced up in order to improve his balance and consistency against athletic rushers. He’s a capable run blocker and pass protector, and he features projectable upside with more work. Morgan has the traits and talent to become a solid starting left tackle.

Strengths
Athletic in his lower half, with ability to redirect his weight in space.

Runs his hips under his hands on drive blocks and kick-outs.

Grip strength allows him to stay connected to run blocks longer.

Well-timed combo blocks feature patience and pop.

Effective jump-set helps eliminate rush plan and stall take-off.

Very good feel for the depth of the pocket.

Slide quickness to catch inside counters.

Can flip loose hips to aid in recovery when beaten.

Weaknesses
Long-armed defensive ends stab and separate from him against the run.

Below-average landmarks see him beaten across his face on cut-off blocks.

Needs to fire his hands with greater assertiveness and reset when necessary.

Inconsistent balance and body control through contact.

Tendency to stall feet during punch contact when opening side door.

Allows weight to creep too far outside in pass slides.

Sources Tell Us

“He was a little more consistent (in 2023), but I thought the second half of the USC game last year was the best football he’s played over the last two seasons.” - NFC area scout

Pre-Draft Analysis
Morgan started 37 games at left tackle at Arizona. He has big hands, and he's tough to beat when he gets them inside in pass pro. He has the balance and body control to mirror and recover when he gets caught out of position. And he gets into positon and walls off defenders in the run game. Morgan has short arms for an offensive tackle and may need to move to guard, but he has the frame and skill set to quickly develop into a starter there. -- Steve Muench

Matt Miller's pro comp: Christian Darrisaw
Post-Draft Analysis
Morgan, a college left tackle, will make an expected move to the inside once in the pros. The Packers will shuffle the offensive line with Zach Tom potentially moving to center in the future, and that's where Morgan's versatility comes into play. His experience at tackle -- plus his agility and movement -- had NFL teams thinking he could play any of the five offensive line positions. The Packers love versatility up front, and Morgan has tons of it. -- Miller

Overall value: Slight reach. It's not unusual for tackles to get drafted earlier than their ranking. To the Packers, taking the 40th overall player isn't a surprise, but I am surprised they didn't target Tyler Guyton out of Oklahoma. -- Muench

Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
Size:

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 311 pounds

Arm Length: 32 7/8’’

Hand Size: 10 7/8’’

Accomplishments:

First-Team All-Pac-12 (2023, 2022)

“Jordan Morgan is a big, strong offensive tackle prospect with the foot quickness to live on an island at the next level.”

Strengths:

Well-experienced (more than 2,400 snaps)

Combination of power and athleticism

Light and nimble-footed

Lateral agility and quickness

Concerns:

Low and wide hand carriage

Inconsistent waist bending

Inconsistent leveraging

Film Analysis:

Jordan Morgan is a physically gifted LT prospect. He has a nice combination of a well-filled frame, functional power/strength, arm length, and athleticism.

Morgan uses his arm length well with well-timed punches to sustain separation versus edge rushers on passing plays. He has a strong pair of mitts. Morgan can shut an edge rusher down with his hand strength once they’re fitted into his defender. With his strength and foot quickness, Morgan can take the wind/air out of a pass rush. He is not the easiest OT to bullrush or attempt to overpower. He possesses the athleticism to explode out of his stance and meet the defender at the apex of their rush, limiting their progress. Morgan is a consistent hand fighter. He will set and re-set his hands during blocking exchanges for better leverage.

As a run blocker, Morgan brings value to both gap and zone schemes. He can explode off the ball and quickly up to the second level of the defense to pick off linebackers if left uncovered. With his hand/grip and functional strength, Morgan can wash defenders down the LOS. In addition, he is capable of latching and torquing defenders to create a running lane. He is quick enough to cut off backside defenders and their pursuit of the football. Morgan is an effective lead puller—he looks to punish second and third-level defenders in space.

Morgan can be a bit too aggressive in the run game, leading to bending at the waist which opens him up for the push/pull technique or a defender using his momentum against him. Morgan plays with a low and wide hand carriage. When it is time to engage, he either forklifts by bringing his hands from low to high or claps them together to make contact. Either way, it is a risky process because it leaves him susceptible to quick counters. He also leaves his chest exposed to a powerful-handed rusher to easily access.

Morgan projects as a high-end starting left tackle. He is run scheme versatile with his experience but is ideally a zone scheme fit. He brings the power, arm length, and athleticism to become a long-term starter in the NFL.

Prospect Projection: Day 1 — Pro Bowl Caliber

Written By: Damian Parson

Exposures: UCLA (2023), Washington (2023), USC (2023), Oregon State (2023)

[YoHoChecko]

Nate Tice loves this guy (Mike Tice's son; draft analyst for The Athletic)

[Waldo]

I like it. Clear need. Seems to be quite talented, recovering from an ACL. GB just didn't need an OL, they need a LT. Even if they have a starter for now, the LT situation is (was?) pretty rough for a team about to drop 100M+ on a young QB.

That said, Ted's first round OL were pretty meh for their draft slot. Even Bulaga. Maybe Gute has a better eye for highly valued lineman. Ted made up for it in the 4th tho.

[Pckfn23]

Rating: 85.50 (High-level starter)
Pro Comparison: Bernhard Raimann
Summary
Jordan Morgan is a fluid, highly capable athlete with a classic NFL OT frame, despite slightly shorter arms than what's normally desired. Wingspan is fine. Fires out of his stance fast and naturally. Glides. Super loose hips, which help him mirror against all types of counter moves. Awesome in that regard. Moves like a large tight end. Hand work is mostly good but inconsistent. Almost seems like he leans on his athleticism too much and doesn't fire his hands early enough. Anchor is great -- clean back bend -- but certainly room for improvement overall. Has the frame to add 10 to 15 pounds without sapping athletic gifts. Combo-blocking capability pops on film. While he doesn't possess the strongest grip strength, he carries out blocks on the move as well as any blocker in the class. Pass-blocking is a speciality because of all the ways he can win at the point of attack, although there's an occasional lackluster rep when his edge is softened too easily. Overall, Morgan is an NFL-ready blocker with loads of upside because of his natural smoothness and gifted feet.

About
2023: First-team All-Pac 12
Allowed 3 sacks on 880 pass-blocking snaps in past 2 seasons
Strengths
Sturdy, NFL OT build with plus wingspan
Smooth movement in every direction
Stellar pass protector (mirroring + anchor)
Weaknesses
Needs to get more nasty in run game
Hand work needs to be more consistent
Could stand to add 10-15 pounds to his frame for power purposes
Combine Data
40-yard dash: 5.04 seconds
Vertical jump: 28 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 2 inches

[Pckfn23]

[Pckfn23]

[go pak go]

Can we get the whale arms emoji back on here? It was used in 2010 when we drafted Bulaga.

[paco]

image.png (220.38 KiB) Viewed 1750 times

[go pak go]

Curious if he is a LT only or if he can move to RT or even play RG. Also curious if Walker has the ability to move.

I will say Morgan was my #1 hope at 41. So taking him at 25 isn't terribly out of reach. Edge Coop was also a huge want at 41 and I low key thought we may target Coop at 25.

[Pckfn23]

Curious if he is a LT only or if he can move to RT or even play RG. Also curious if Walker has the ability to move.

I will say Morgan was my #1 hope at 41. So taking him at 25 isn't terribly out of reach. Edge Coop was also a huge want at 41 and I low key thought we may target Coop at 25.

Lot of people pre draft had him as iOL.

[YoHoChecko]

Gutey says he can play 4 positions.

"best 5" talk will follow strongly and heavily

[go pak go]

So we arguably have 3 players who can play inside and outside and 6 players who are starting caliber on our offensive line.

Would like Puni or a South Dakota State kid on Saturday. Otherwise we are sitting nice at Oline

[Pckfn23]

Gutey says he can play 4 positions.

"best 5" talk will follow strongly and heavily

As it should. We had a hole at guard. This can fill it one way or another.

I am also not yet sold on Walker.

[Labrev]

I definitely thought that Jordan Morgan felt like a Packer prospect when I first read up on him, mainly with how utterly BORING he is.

I mean, I think he is a good player, so I am fine with this. I just would have preferred something a little different on OL: namely, a guy with more power to his game. Like most, I preferred Barton. I like him better than Ed too-tall Guyton though, who a lot of folks had connected to us.

I also heard that Morgan was getting some Round 1 buzz so I did see him as a 'dark horse' pick for us at 25. Surprised, but not shocked.

I wonder if they throw him at T and move Tom inside as some have said they want to do, or if he competes at RG and Tom stays outside.

[Pckfn23]

The Green Bay Packers selected Arizona guard/tackle Jordan Morgan with the No. 25 pick in Thursday’s first round of the NFL Draft. The Packers are looking for pieces to build on their playoff season in 2023 and Morgan adds to protection for Jordan Love who emerged as a franchise quarterback.

Morgan moved from quarterback to tackle in high school after growing six inches in roughly a year, proving to be a natural mover with bend and power up front. Morgan started 37 games over five years at Arizona, but also fought through shoulder, ankle and knee injuries that caused him to miss time.

A great athlete with a terrific first step, Morgan does a great job reach-blocking defenders on either side of him in wide zone schemes and has enough athleticism to recover and replant himself in pass protection.

Morgan only played left tackle at Arizona, though his arm length (32 7/8) may force a move inside to guard at the NFL. The injuries are also a concern at this point, as Morgan will be 23 this season.

‘The Beast’ breakdown
Morgan ranked No. 29 in Dane Brugler’s Top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:

“Morgan struggles to anchor mid-slide versus power, but he is a balanced mover who is well-schooled and physical in all phases. Though he can survive at tackle in the NFL, his skill set projects much better inside at guard, similar to Matthew Bergeron.”

Why he’s a first-round pick
An experienced, tough offensive lineman with great knowledge and want-to in the run game, Morgan is another college tackle who feels ready to slide inside and start at guard for someone right away next year. Versatility is also a factor here.

How he fits
According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Morgan’s skill set projects far better in the NFL at guard than tackle. Morgan started all 33 games he played for Arizona the last three seasons at left tackle, so he provides versatility for a Green Bay offensive line that needs it. Rasheed Walker, a 2022 seventh-round pick, is the incumbent left tackle after playing about 78 percent of the offensive snaps last season following David Bakhtiari’s season-ending injury. The Packers appear confident in Walker starting on quarterback Jordan Love’s blind side, but they have a bigger question at right guard, where Morgan could also play.

Rookie impact
General manager Brian Gutekunst said this offseason he wants competition along the offensive line. The only long-term certainties are Elgton Jenkins and Zach Tom. Morgan isn’t guaranteed to start just because he’s a first-round pick, but he’ll at least compete for one or more spots in the starting lineup, most likely against Walker and/or Sean Rhyan, who split snaps with the departed Jon Runyan Jr. at right guard. The Packers also need more depth at both tackle and interior offensive line and Morgan provides insurance at both.

Depth-chart impact
The Packers recently signed former Eagles first-round pick Andre Dillard for depth at offensive tackle, but ESPN reported that Dillard signed a one-year, veteran minimum deal. Essentially, Dillard shouldn’t stand in the way of Morgan’s rise up the depth chart if the Packers want him to play tackle, but he might have a cleaner path to start inside given the uncertainty surrounding Rhyan’s potential as a starter and the fact that Royce Newman is the only depth piece with experience on the interior of the offensive line.

They also could have picked …
Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean was the most commonly mocked player to the Packers in the pre-draft process and he was still on the board at No. 25. Gutekunst showered DeJean with praise in his pre-draft press conference earlier in the week, but he passed on a guy who could fill needs at safety and cornerback. Versatile Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton, who played left tackle and center in college, was also on the board and went No. 26 to the Buccaneers.

Fast evaluation
Now that the Packers appear to have their franchise quarterback, priority No. 1 becomes protecting him for what they hope is the next decade-plus. They hadn’t taken an offensive lineman in the first round since 2011, the draft after which they won the Super Bowl, but they nab Morgan in hopes he can be a cornerstone to keep Love upright for the foreseeable future.

[paco]

only watch the top one where Bill talks.

[Pckfn23]

[paco]

[paco]

Here's 1 bad rep.

[Labrev]

Ross Uglem breakdown from two months ago:



Jerramiya:

Rank: #47 (^ 2)
Jordan Morgan
Arizona · OT · Senior
Morgan is a very athletic left tackle with average size. In pass pro, he is quick out of his stance to meet and cover up speed rushers. He can sink his weight and drop levels when bull rushed. He also does a nice job re-working his hands when he gets knocked back to regain leverage. He struggles to redirect inside when facing counter moves, getting beat on that inside shoulder too often. He also will occasionally duck his head, which is correctable. In the run game, he is more finesse than power. He can use his quickness to cut off the back side and he takes excellent angles to the second level to wall off linebackers. He doesn't have a lot of knock-back power to displace defenders over his nose. Morgan is just over a year removed from ACL surgery, and I'm hopeful he can add more strength/power now that he's healthy. Overall, he has starting tackle ability.