NFL Draft Profile: Mike Morris, EDGE, Michigan Wolverines

NFL Draft profile scouting report for Michigan EDGE Mike Morris

Mike Morris
Michigan Wolverines

#90
Pos: iDL
Ht: 6052
Wt: 275
Hand: 1000
Arm: 3348
Wing: 8178
40: 4.95
DOB: 4/22/2001
Hometown: Belle Galde, FL
High School: American Heritage
Eligibility: 2023

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One Liner:

Morris wins as a pass rusher by timing the snap well and chaining together moves set up by his power, but he lacks the high-end agility and bend to capture the tackle’s outside shoulder consistently.

Evaluation:

Morris primarily rushed from two-point stances in 2022. He appears to have adequate to above-average arm length for the position. Morris offers an excellent combination of height and weight with strength throughout his frame. The senior hammers pulling guards and often uses his power to reset the line of scrimmage at the point of attack. He has no trouble anchoring one-on-one against the run and sets hard edges. Morris uses his hands to deconstruct blocks and make splash plays in the backfield. He has surprising closing speed and offers some upside as a backside run defender. Morris flows down the line to the football against the run. He takes good pursuit angles to the ball. The Florida native is excellent at timing the snap, which he pairs with an explosive first step. He accelerates into his rush, allowing him to convert speed to power at the point of contact. Morris’ leg drive helps him walk the tackle back into the pocket. He’s careful to avoid being carried too far upfield by his rush plan. Morris’ strength lets him play through the half-man portion of his rush without being washed down. He shows flashes of flattening his rush to the quarterback, although this isn’t always the case. Morris deploys his active and powerful hands in a combination of swipes and swims. One of his best combinations includes chaining his bull rush with a late swim move. Morris uses his footwork to set up outside-inside moves and vice versa. He’s willing to attack the tackle’s inside shoulder from 4 or 5-tech alignments. Morris gets his hands in throwing lanes for pass breakups when he fails to reach the quarterback. He has some experience reducing inside but lacks the leverage and strength to play that role full-time. Morris earned All-Big Ten honors in 2022 despite playing less than 400 defensive snaps. He’s never played more than 380 defensive snaps in a season and only has one year with high-end production. Morris’ lack of experience on special teams also raises questions about his floor as an NFL player and ability to contribute as a rookie. He lacks high-end speed in pursuit and doesn’t display ideal agility and change of direction skills. Morris isn’t a sudden or twitchy athlete, and some lower body stiffness prevents him from bending off the edge. This lack of bend and heavy reliance on power as a pass rush raises concerns. Morris’ pad level needs to improve, and there’s room for his leg drive to become even more effective if he keeps his legs moving late in plays. While Morris’ hands are active, he lacks a deep set of pass rush moves. His reliance on power leads to too much time spent stuck on blocks or too many slow rushes that never reach the quarterback. Morris could correct these concerns by refining his hand usage and increasing the violence in his hand counters. The former four-star recruit specifically needs to work on developing his rip move to increase its fluidity and effectiveness. The Wolverines asked Morris to reduce inside sometimes, but he lacks the ability to handle double teams, which suggests he shouldn’t spend much time between the tackles at the NFL level.

Grade:

4th Round

Background:

Mike Morris went to American Heritage High School, where he was ranked around 50th in prospects for the state of Florida. The Edge comes from an athletic family as his father played football at Florida State and his sister played basketball at Georgetown. Morris’s sister, Milan ‘Mimi’ Bolden-Morris, attained a graduate assistant position at Michigan, working in the Quarterback room. Morris had a slow start to his career as a Wolverine, with zero games played in 2019 and a single tackle on special teams in 2020. He did, however, earn Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2020. As a junior, Morris played in 13 games with four starts and accumulated 16 total tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss, one interception, and one pass deflection. In 2022, he amassed 21 total tackles, seven sacks, one forced fumble, and two pass deflections. Morris was named Second-Team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and the American Football Coaches Association in 2022.