2017 NFL Draft: With their fifth round pick the Chicago Bears select Jordan Morgan
With their probable final pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select offensive lineman Jordan Morgan.
Well, this time the Chicago Bears didn’t make a trade. In the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, they selected offensive lineman Jordan Morgan.
Morgan played in Division II Kutztown. He is big, at 6-foot-4, 320 pounds. He spent his four seasons there starting every game and overwhelming the competition. He has big hands and quick and light feet. His footwork is good for a big man. He always has his feet moving quickly, putting him in position to make the block.
Morgan has adequate arm strength, but he gets his arms extended quickly, getting to the rusher’s chest. His big hands help him with a good initial punch.
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Morgan needs to improve his balance. He finds himself lunging too many times. He got away with it in Division II because of inferior competition, but NFL rushers will take advantage of his balance troubles.
Morgan certainly did the work needed to be a professional prospect. He arrived at Kutztown at just 235 pounds and gained 85 pounds the right way in order to get NFL-ready. This past season, he won the Gene Upshaw Award as the best offensive lineman in Division II.
Some may be concerned with how Morgan handles the NFL pressure. He played in the Senior Bowl, which was a step up from his usual competition. He struggled early on, but by the end of the week, he was doing well, getting pancakes even.
The interesting thing about Morgan is that he almost didn’t play college football. He played high school football for just half a season. Kutztown coaches came to see two of his teammates but fell in love with him.
"I think if they never came that day, I probably wouldn’t be playing football in college. At that time, it wasn’t something I wanted to do for sure, but I knew it was something I liked. When I saw the opportunity, it seemed like an obvious decision to make. If they hadn’t come, that probably would have been it for me."
Morgan played his entire college career at left tackle, but scouts told him he needs to move over to guard. He feels he can be a blind side tackle at the higher level, but he’ll do whatever he needs to do to help his new team, the Chicago Bears.
It was a good thing Kutztown came calling. Morgan took full advantage of that opportunity and now finds himself opening a new chapter of his life, playing for the Chicago Bears.