Mike Morris, EDGE Michigan: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Morris was a four-star recruit from American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla. in the class of 2019

Defensive end Mike Morris was a breakout star for the Michigan Wolverines this past college football season. He and Mazi Smith have a chance to continue Michigan’s defensive line’s tradition by claiming top 100 selections in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Mike Morris, EDGE Michigan: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior defensive end from Belle Glade, Fla.

Background: Morris was a four-star recruit from American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 396 recruit according to 247Sports (three-star) and No. 383 (four-star) for On3.com. Morris was an unranked four-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked four-star recruit for ESPN with an 80 grade out of 100. As a high school senior, he amassed 89 tackles, including 25 for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. Morris totaled 84 tackles, including 31 for loss, and four sacks as a junior. He exploded onto the scene as a high school freshman with 13 sacks. Morris earned Palm Beach All-County honors each year during his high school career and was an All-Area First-Team selection in 2017 and 2018. He originally committed to Florida State before flipping to Michigan. Morris chose the Wolverines over offers from Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Miami, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia. His father, Mike Morris Sr., played along the offensive line at Florida State. The younger Morris was born on April 22, 2001. His sister Milan ‘Mimi’ Bolden-Morris is a graduate assistant for the Wolverines. She previously played basketball at Boston College for three seasons and at Georgetown for two seasons, amassing 1,145 career points. 

2022 Production: 12 games, 23 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 37 pressures, 7.5 sacks, 3 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble

2021 Production: 14 games, 16 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 14 pressures, 0.5 sack, 1 interception, 1 pass defensed

2020 Production: 1 game, 1 tackle

2019 Production: 0 games

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed two games in 2022 with an undisclosed injury

Awards: Three-Time Academic All-Big Ten (2020, 2021, 2022), 2022 First-Team All-Big Ten, 2022 Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year

Pros: Appears to have adequate arm length, excellent combination of height and weight, strength to hammer pulling guards, excellent at timing the snap, examples of an explosive first step, active and powerful hands, no trouble anchoring one-on-one against the run, sets a hard edge, some upside as a backside run defender, good acceleration into his rush, some experience reducing inside, power to reset the line of scrimmage at the point of attack, attacks inside rush lanes, combinations of hand swipes, swim move, chains his bull rush into a swim move, footwork to set up outside-inside moves and vice versa, flattens his rush angle to the quarterback, converts speed to power, strength to play through half-man portion of the rush, displays patience when guarding the option, flows down the line to the football against the run, doesn’t over pursue or carry his rush too far upfield, gets his hands in throwing lanes for PBUs, leg drive walks the tackle back into the pocket, good pursuit angles, strength throughout frame, surprising closing speed

Cons: One season of production, never played more than 400 snaps in a season, minimal experience on special teams, lacks high-end speed for pursuit, lacks a deep set of pass rush moves, primarily relies on power to win, too much time spent stuck on blocks as a pass rusher, lacks high-end agility and change of direction skills, not twitchy or sudden, hand usage needs refinement, hands can be more violent, limited instances rushing from a three-point stance in 2022, pad level becomes a concern at times, not truly bendy off the edge, some lower body tightness, power in his leg drive could improve, offers no upside against double teams, rip move needs further development, lacks the size and strength to reduce inside consistently

Overview: Morris is unofficially listed at 6'6", 292 lbs. He applied pressure on roughly 6.7% of his pass rush snaps in 2021 and 16.89% in 2022. 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.

Overall, 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. Morris primarily played in a two-point stance in 2022, but his best projection to the NFL is as a 4-3 defensive end in a three-point stance. He can improve his outlook as a player long-term by diversifying his pass rush arsenal and building a subsection of moves that complement his power rushes instead of relying on them.

Role & Scheme Fit: Defensive end in a 4-3 scheme

Round Projection: Late Third to Mid Fourth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 01-10-23