0 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE DRAFT... 2010 NFL PRE-DRAFT COVERAGE BEGINS AT 6AM PST TOMORROW MORNING.
Author's note: First and foremost, I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone who read and participated in these articles. It was definitely a pleasure and at times a lot of fun to write. So here you have it, your 100th player in 100 days.
Fooch's Note: I'm putting together a list of all 100 of these posts in alphabetical order. I'll be posting it tomorrow.
Derrick Morgan played nearly every single game in the last three years. He has decided to forego his senior year to enter the NFL Draft this year and is being considered as a potential top-ten pick. He has had an outstanding college career but his best year came in this past season where he racked up 12 sacks and forced 2 fumbles.
As Morgan entered his first season as a true freshman, little did he know he would start 12 out of the 13 games that year. He struggled adjusting a bit but eventually toward the end of the year he settled in. When he entered his sophomore year the coaches had a bit higher expectations and Morgan probably met them as he had 6 sacks and 51 tackles. And as I mention above, his junior year was excellent.
Derrick Morgan has a great opportunity to show what he is made of. Once he gets to the NFL the challenges are going to get much more steep.
Below, we will take a look at some highlights and stats. After that I will provide my final projection.
Here are both some of the ups and downs of Morgan's career. Of course there are hundreds of more plays in his career, but it is a good enough sample size to get a good idea.
AWARDS AND HONORS:
- 2009 First Team All-American
- 2009 First Team All-SEC
- 2009 ACC Defensive Player of the Year
CAREER STATS:
| Stats Overview | Tackles | Misc | Interceptions | |||||||||||
| YEAR | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | STF | STFY | FF | BK | INT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | PD |
| 2007 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 51 | 31 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 52 | 37 | 15 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Regular Season Game Log | Tackles | Misc | Interceptions | |||||||||||||
| DATE | OPP | RESULT | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | STF | STFY | FF | BK | INT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | PD |
| 9/5 | Jacksonville State | W 37-17 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9/10 | Clemson | W 30-27 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9/17 | @Miami (FL) | L 33-17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9/26 | North Carolina | W 24-7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/3 | @Mississippi State | W 42-31 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/10 | @Florida State | W 49-44 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/17 | Virginia Tech | W 28-23 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/24 | @Virginia | W 34-9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/31 | @Vanderbilt | W 56-31 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/7 | Wake Forest | W 30-27 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/14 | @Duke | W 49-10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/28 | Georgia | L 30-24 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12/5 | @Clemson | W 39-34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Postseason Game Log | Tackles | Misc | Interceptions | |||||||||||||
| BOWL | OPP | RESULT | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | STF | STFY | FF | BK | INT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | PD |
| FedEx ORANGE BOWL | Iowa | L 24-14 | Did Not Play or did not accumulate any stats. | |||||||||||||
SUMMARY AND PROJECTION:
Morgan is more than likely going to be drafted as a 4-3 Defensive End. There are a few teams that are looking at him to be a 3-4 Outside Linebacker. It's going to be very interesting to see how Morgan's fame will translate in to the NFL. He has great range and speed to run down backs from behind if they're moving laterally. He is exceptional in his pass rushing abilities. He does lack a bit of power off the snap. If he is drafted as a 3-4 Outside Linebacker, it's hard to see that he would be the most successful there. I think that Morgan is easily a top 20 pick though. He measured 6'3" and weighed in at 266 LBS.
Possibilities -- 1st Round. Teams: Seattle, Browns, Raiders, Jaguars, Giants, or Titans.
If you are interested in reading any of the other 100 in 100 articles, the link below will provide you with all 100;
http://www.ninersnation.com/section/100-in-100-2010
NOTE: STAY TUNED FOR A FOLLOW-UP RECAP POST.