NFL Draft Expert: Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison Making Case For CB1

PFF NFL Draft analyst Trevor Sikkema thinks Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison has a chance to overtake Michigan's Will Johnson as CB1 in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison (20) celebrates after an interception in the second quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison (20) celebrates after an interception in the second quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison began the 2024 season as one of the highest rated draft-eligible cornerbacks in the country. The junior only enhanced his position on NFL Draft boards in the opener with Texas A&M.

Aggie QB Conner Weigman was hyped throughout the preseason, but he was awful against the Irish, completing just 12-of-30 for 100 yards and two picks. Morrison was a huge reason why Weigman struggled so mightily. The All-America candidate neutralized the Aggie receivers and allowed just one reception for one yard despite being targeted five times.

And national NFL Draft analysts have taken notice of Morrison's continued rise. Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema remarked that Morrison remains elite, adding this:

Michigan’s Will Johnson got most of the publicity this summer as the top cornerback for the 2025 NFL Draft and with good reason; he is very talented, and is, in fact, at the top cornerback on our big board to start the season. However, Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison was not talked about enough as CB2, and the gap between them is not as large as people may believe.

Morrison showed that this past Saturday against Texas A&M, earning a 72.6 coverage grade on 36 coverage snaps. In total, he played 68 snaps, which was second most on the defense. Sixty-four of those snaps came as their wide cornerback, but he also had some key plays in the slot, including sticky man coverage rep as Texas A&M was trying to get into scoring position on their last drive of the first half. At 6-foot and 190 pounds, Morrison will be a key part of one of the better defenses in the country this season.

Morrison and the fifth-ranked Irish host Northern Illinois this Saturday at 3:30 ET in South Bend.

Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M Recap: Top 4 Defensive Stars of the Game

How Benjamin Morrison is a True Notre Dame Man


Published
Rich Cirminiello

RICH CIRMINIELLO