FROM DAVE TE-Have I Got A Sleeper Safety For You

As I generally do, I keep a line of communication open with any scout, whether it is to help them on their assignment or get insights into the makings and breakings of his organization’s draft thinking. Earlier today, I was talking with a raiders scout, delving into the surprisingly “smallish” crop of strong safeties available in the draft.

On the current consensus draft board, of the twenty top strong safeties, only Obi Melifonwu-Connecticut and Nate Gerry-Nebraska hit the mark at 6:02 or above. The UConn talent and Josh Jones-North Carolina State are the only ones within that top rung to check in at 220 or more pounds. Eight within the top twenty are 5:11 or shorter and seven fail to reach the 200-pound mark.

That could see what I was alluding to earlier. After the Giants pick in the first round, teams seem to be lining up to make a big push for cornerbacks and safeties, as at least a dozen could go in the next twenty picks after #23.

I knew what the scout was trying to get at, but since I was on assignment for another team, when he asked to “see” my report on a Division III safety who has been hearing whispers turn into a roar in recent weeks, I had to apologize and hand him a “Sorry Charlie” response.

The player report that he wanted was on a talented kid out of tiny Greenville College, Nicholas Morrow, a Deone Bucannon type that played both linebacker and Rover for the Panthers. Morrow has drawn so much attention from the Raiders, that on my recent visit, their personnel guy, Reggie McKenzie, had already beaten me to the tiny film room.

During his workout, Morrow was willing to “test his mettle” with me. After blazing the 40 in two runs of 4.45 and 4.49 in shorts, he donned the pads and ran again – 4.52 ticked on my watch. Pushing 216 pounds and standing 6:00.3, he’s likely to see secondary duties rather than second level in the NFL, but he has good arm length (32-inches) and wingspan (76 ½) that I look for in a strong safety.

In 34 career games with the Division III Panthers, Morrow recorded 222 combined tackles (151 solo), 38 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and three interceptions. In 2016, Morrow recorded 66 tackles (11 for loss) with two sacks, four pass breakups and zero interceptions. The year before, he had 69 tackles (15 for loss) with two interceptions and five pass breakups.

Highly regarded for his ability to seek out late-round talent, McKenzie surely sees a spark in the small-school stud to have brought him in for an official visit, making Morrow a name to look out for as a Day Three target or priority undrafted free agent. A three year starter heading into his senior campaign, leading the Panthers’ defense, he could play an off-ball linebacker role at the next level if able to add weight to his frame without losing much of his speed and athleticism, a position switch that would bode well for his chances of playing in the NFL.

While the three interceptions don’t label him as a ball thief, he does have “hops,” performing a 37 ½-inch vertical jump and 10-5 in his broad jump, slight improvements from his impressive performance at Northwestern University’s Pro Day. In attempts to check out his lateral agility, he also improved on his short shuttle (4.45 at Northwestern/4.33 at campus) and three-cone drill (7.08 Northwestern/ 6.99 campus).

While discussing the talent level at strong safety, both of us agreed that Day Three and the rookie free agent market might offer some finds at both the free and strong positions. Others that could be training camp finds are Minnesota’s Damarius Travis, Stetson’s Donald Payne, Miami’s Jamal Carter, Georgia Southern’s Ironhead Gallon and Duke’s Colin McCarthy at strong safety. Some free safeties looking like better than camp bodies with Day Three aspirations are New Hampshire’s Casey DeAndrade, BYU’s Kai Nacua, Jason Thompson out of Utah, Western Kentucky’s Branden Leston, Penn State’s Malik Golden and speedy Florida A& M Rattler, Jacques Bryant.

Maybe the scout should join the BBI forum. After all, he might find an excerpt from my Morrow scouting report below;

Body Structure Morrow lacks ideal height for the linebacker position, but has a thick, muscular frame with a tight abdomen, broad shoulders, good arm muscle definition, a high, big bubble, thick thighs and calves. While he has the potential to carry some more bulk, he could max out at 225 pounds. He has a thin waist and good change of direction agility due to his loose hips.

Athletic Ability Morrow has outstanding closing quickness and timed speed. He has the range to make plays at the opposite end of the field and demonstrates good balance and body control taking on blockers at the point of attack. He is an explosive hitter who stays low in his pads and can slip and avoid blocks when redirecting inside. His agility and flexibility are evident when accelerating to close. He shows good strength facing up to the offensive linemen and has the timed speed to be effective dropping back in pass coverage.

Key and Diagnostic Skills Against the run, Morrow excels at recognizing the blocking schemes, playing off of them and shutting down the rush lanes. He does a good job of splitting double teams, despite a lack of ideal height. He is still a work in progress reading pass plays and has to develop a better feel for the receiver through route progressions. He has the speed to stay with any receiver in the deep zone, but due to a lack of reps, it is hard to evaluate his ability to handle switch-offs playing in zone coverage. He reacts quickly to jump the play in run support (86.45% of his tackles came vs. the run) and takes good angles to the ball. He has a good feel for the ball carrier on the perimeter and is very effective at shutting down the cutback lanes. With his ability to take good angles and see the play develop, Morrow is quick to react to misdirections. He has excellent vision to locate the ball in a crowd and the recovery speed to get back into the action on the rare times that he over-pursues. Because of his dominance vs. the run, he was not counted on much to drop back in pass coverage. He has a feel for route progressions and the ability to work through combo routes.

Playing Strength and Explosion Morrow generates good explosion behind his hits. He might not have the size you look for in a traditional run stuffing linebacker, but with his low pad level and decent playing strength, he does a good job of slipping off and avoiding blocks in backside pursuit, making him a nice fit as a strong safety candidate at the next level. His size limitations become an issue when an offensive linemen latches on to him, as he does not have the bulk to separate. He is more effective on the move, where he can avoid the blockers, as he has the speed to take a wide loop to the ball and still make the play rather than sit back and engage the opponent. He shows nice explosion on contact to make up for his size issues, but is better off when he can slip off blocks rather than use his hands to shed. He would be even more involved in the plays if he can develop better hand/shed ability. He might not have the “sand in his pants” to hold ground firmly when working in-line, but if his defensive tackles give him even the slightest of a gap to shoot, he can avoid traffic to penetrate into the backfield. He won’t be the type of ‘backer that will be very stout to leverage at the point of attack or stack and control blocks, but he compensates with his avoidance skills and explosive closing burst. He has good weight room totals, but in closed quarters, they don’t always translate to the football field.

Tackling Ability Morrow is a superb perimeter tackler due to his range and explosion. He is a solid wrap-up tackler who stays low in his pads and has the plant-& -drive agility to redirect. He is not as effective when working in-line, especially when the offensive lineman gets into his body to lift him at the pads. He does a good job of keeping plays in front of him, keeping his arms extended to wrap and secure. He shows good pop on contact and the thing that he excels at is dragging down ball carriers in the open. He is just a productive tackler who will do whatever it takes to bring the ball carrier down. In the open, he generates good pop and explosion, showing proper form in his tackling technique. He might lack the size to face up to blockers inside at the next level as a linebacker, but his speed is ideal for a possible shift to strong safety.

Run Defense Morrow is a valid candidate to move to safety. He attacks the fullback with a vengeance and uses his strength well to plug the inside rush lanes. He attacks with his shoulders properly squared, but must develop better hand usage to shed when working in-line. He will never have the size needed to stuff offensive linemen, but is perfectly able to slip and avoid to make the play. His timed speed is a rarity in this business for a linebacker, but his size will dictate a move to the secondary. He has a fluid flow to the ball along the perimeter and can redirect to neutralize the cutback lanes. He might get a little reckless and over-pursue at times, but his recovery burst puts him right back into the play. He just runs the field well and has more than enough speed to cut off the outside play. Few linebackers can make plays from sideline-to-sideline like Morrow can.

Pass Defense This is a hard category to evaluate him in, as his responsibilities at linebacker was mostly for run containment. You can see he has the speed to stay with any receiver in pass routes and he has the loose hips to get depth in his pass drops. He needs to stay lower in his pads through his backpedal, but he comes out of it with few wasted steps to mirror the receiver on deep patterns. He shows good awareness to locate and attack receivers working underneath, but still needs to get his head turned around and not eye the quarterback too long when playing in the deep area. When he recognizes the play, he does a good job of getting square to the ball. Even with his lack of plays in this area, with additional reps and his closing speed, I feel that Morrow will develop the ability to look up receivers and break on the ball with good urgency

Zone Defense Morrow can close on the ball in a hurry, but while some pro teams might view his size and speed as a better fit at strong safety, he will need more reps operating in zone coverage. He has a good feel for tracking the ball in flight, but must do a better job of using his hands to pluck and snatch the ball away from his frame. He is utilized mostly in the box, but has the balance and burst to mirror receivers in deep routes. He still must develop a feel for the zone switch-offs, but can make plays coming out of his breaks due to his explosiveness.