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With the 53rd pick and the 2025 NFL draft Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected cornerback Benjamin Morrison from Notre Dame. With multiple needs in the secondary, did they hit the mark or reach?
The Buccaneers' biggest need coming into day two of the NFL draft was glaringly at cornerback, as they struggled to force takeaways in the secondary last season and gave up over 350 yards per game due to poor cornerback play and injuries. Benjamin Morrison gives Todd Bowles a versatile piece as Morrison can play not only man coverage but the cover zone coverage that Todd Bowles runs so often. Using his size at 6’1" and nearly 200 pounds, Morrison is aggressive about the point of attack and is known for his sticky coverage of receivers.
While there are injury concerns as Morrison is recovering from hip surgery that he opted for midseason, Morrison was a consensus top 10 draft pick prior to injury and held a private workout three days before the NFL draft in which scouts were able to view him in action. Morrison stated he waited for the “right time” to get the hip surgery, waiting for his growth plates to close and not cause any further complications. A healthy Benjamin Morrison had nine interceptions between 2022 and 2023, as well as 18 pass deflections. The former Fighting Irish defender, at the very least, will challenge current CB2 Jamel Dean, who has not played a full season at any point in his career and suffered double knee injuries last season, keeping him out of the second half of the Buccaneers' playoff game against the Commanders, which turned out to be costly.
Todd Bowles wanted a ballhawk and got one.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Grading the Bucs first-round pick Benjamin Morrison in the NFL Draft
Continue reading...
The Buccaneers' biggest need coming into day two of the NFL draft was glaringly at cornerback, as they struggled to force takeaways in the secondary last season and gave up over 350 yards per game due to poor cornerback play and injuries. Benjamin Morrison gives Todd Bowles a versatile piece as Morrison can play not only man coverage but the cover zone coverage that Todd Bowles runs so often. Using his size at 6’1" and nearly 200 pounds, Morrison is aggressive about the point of attack and is known for his sticky coverage of receivers.
While there are injury concerns as Morrison is recovering from hip surgery that he opted for midseason, Morrison was a consensus top 10 draft pick prior to injury and held a private workout three days before the NFL draft in which scouts were able to view him in action. Morrison stated he waited for the “right time” to get the hip surgery, waiting for his growth plates to close and not cause any further complications. A healthy Benjamin Morrison had nine interceptions between 2022 and 2023, as well as 18 pass deflections. The former Fighting Irish defender, at the very least, will challenge current CB2 Jamel Dean, who has not played a full season at any point in his career and suffered double knee injuries last season, keeping him out of the second half of the Buccaneers' playoff game against the Commanders, which turned out to be costly.
Todd Bowles wanted a ballhawk and got one.
Grade: A
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Grading the Bucs first-round pick Benjamin Morrison in the NFL Draft
Continue reading...
