While there’s usually little surprise in the first day of the NFL Draft, it’s always interesting to see which players teams go after on the second and third day. Often, hitting the late picks right is even more important. One player getting some traction is David Morgan out of UTSA, getting attention from the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 6’4 tight end worked out for both teams and although he’s likely to be a third day pick in the draft, it won’t be surprising to see him move a little bit upwards in the time remaining. He was a surprise second-team All-American and second-team All-Conference USA selection in 2015, finishing with 45 receptions for 566 yards and 5 touchdowns. It’s quite rare for a school that’s only been around the FBS for five years to get a player into an All-American team. After missing significant time in previous seasons due to injury, he was finally able to show the full extent of his abilities.
And what are they? He has very good hands and leaping abilities when contesting for a pass, and like many successful tight ends, has basketball background. He rarely lets hit make him drop the ball and unlike a lot of often targeted tight ends, he really doesn’t mind blocking and hitting defenders as hard as possible. However, he isn’t the fastest of players and does have a problem with routes or surprising defenders, which means often putting himself in contested situations.
That doesn’t mean the end of the world. A lot of the successful tight ends in the NFL right now needed two or three years to adjust and work on their game. Morgan could also be someone used in an H-Back or fullback mode due to his abilities. However, with all that being said, seeing him getting taken anywhere earlier than mid-to-late third round is going to be very surprising.