Antonio Morrison, ILB, Florida: 2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Florida is sending a boon of quality defenders into the 2016 NFL draft.  Antonio Morrison could be one of them.  What does his 2016 NFL draft scouting report have to say?

Position: ILB

School: Florida

Year: Senior

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 232 lbs

History:

The Illinois-native had his ups and downs throughout his time at Florida. He got into his fair share of trouble with two arrests and also suffered a nasty knee injury that will spark plenty of medical checkups. However, he battled through it all to improve his productivity every year for the Gators. Has back-to-back seasons with 100 tackles.

STRENGTHS:

• Zero hesitation to his reaction. The moment he sees the football, he’s seek-and-destroy, coming downhill without thought about his own well-being. Loves to hit.
• Reliable tackler. If he gets his arms wrapped around the ball carrier, he’s not letting go until the next play.
• Tremendous instincts for what the offense plans to do. Times his blitzes very well, able to shoot the gap and blow plays up in the backfield.

This is textbook for what top inside linebackers should do. Morrison doesn’t tip off what he plans to do until right before the ball is snapped, then he fires downhill, predicting where the gap would be perfectly and slams the running back to the turf before he can ever hope to react. The offense takes a big loss as result.

• Uses his hands and quickness to good advantage when shedding blocks, rarely letting opponents get into his body.
• Body language and actions on the field indicate he’s a vocal leader. Calls out teammates when they miss an assignment and can get them lined up pre-snap.

WEAKNESSES:

• While not small, his lack of height and length will make him an easy target for bigger tight ends at the pro level.
• He isn’t slow but doesn’t have ideal sideline-to-sideline range. Faster running backs can beat him to the corner and he won’t be immediate help on receiver screens.
• A mismatch in coverage. Quicker receivers will have him beat almost immediately due to speed restrictions.

A wide receiver on a linebacker is almost always never good anyway, but it’s easy to see how limited Morrison is in coverage by his inability to impact the throw of the quarterback. The receiver is open almost the entire time and should’ve caught the pass for an easy 1st down.

Pro Comparison: D’Qwell Jackson

He might not be the most versatile linebacker on the planet, but D’Qwell Jackson has proven he has staying power in the NFL because he’s tough, physical, smart and utterly reliable in what he does best which is make plays around the line of scrimmage. He also has just enough athleticism to function in coverage. In essence that is the same type of game Morrison has.

Projection: 2nd to 4th rounds

It’s not hard at all to see what Antonio Morrison can bring to a defense. Coaches love players like him: physical, high energy, smart, instinctive and always around the ball. For that they will quite often overlook the limitations in coverage. He can go on Day 2 easily and make a team happy.