Scouting Report: Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech

Ht: 6'3 Wt: 266 40: 4.72

Strengths: Great size and strength. Plays with good burst off the football. Very strong pass rusher. Shows great technique when using moves (rip, swim, spin). He is his best at speed rush off the edge. Displays great initial pop. He gets low right off the snap which shows great form; this immediately gives him an advantage against the offensive lineman. Has good agility and uses his hands well to disengage linemen. He can run the arch very well. Has a tremendous motor. Can fight through double teams. Uses his hands and arms very well in tackling; shows his strength. Very solid tackler. Good against the run as well. Does a very good job at keeping his outside shoulder free, even when fighting through blocks. Keeps his feet moving when engaged. Is able to run stuns well. Shows good pursuit. Looks very polished, shows good awareness. Can play both left and right DE in the 4-3. Good leader. Never missed a game in his college career.

Weaknesses: I see him as a strict 4-3 DE. He didn't go into coverage too much at Georgia Tech and the times I've seen him in coverage as well as the coverage drills at the combine shows to me that he's more of a hand in the dirt defensive end. Does not have fluid hips.

Summary: There's a lot to like about Derrick Morgan. He is a great pass rusher and one of the best 4-3 DE's. He has a deadly speed rush and shows great strength against both the run and the pass. He is a very well-rounded prospect. His main weakness is that when I watch tape of him, I see a strict 4-3 DE. I think that if he was asked to be a three down linebacker in the 3-4, he would struggle a little bit and require time to adjust. I think that he could make the transition if he was asked to, but I think that he has the most potential as a 4-3 DE. Overall, based on his skill set and leadership, teams will have Derrick Morgan rated very highly and I believe that there is no way he gets out of the top 20.

Draft Projection: Top 20