Welcome to Tampa, Benjamin Morrison

[Cheb]

We got our new corner. Here's what I wrote about him back in January when I was talking about targets at #19 overall:

I personally love Benjamin Morrison, the 6'0" 190lb cornerback out of Notre Dame, but I don't think he fits our defense. Morrison lives by the press and dies by it, and thankfully he lives far more than he dies. Moreover, he plays a TON of man, which given his skills of course he should, but we are a very zone-heavy team. Dude's a great corner with lockdown potential, and if Bowles would let him play his game, I would love every minute. Bowles however may not love it, and want to go in a different direction that more fits his scheme. Moreover, Bowles may say that between Dean and Zyon, he's fine at outside corner thank you very much, though adding Morrison would future-proof us against the day where Dean leaves to cover grass for a different team.

I think he slipped to the second because of his hip injury. Dude's a good corner.

Welcome to Tampa, young man.

Edit: it was his hip that was injured, not his ACL.

[BucsNBills]

Maybe we can start letting out press corners play press again. Tired of that 30 yard cushion we constantly give receivers.

[Bootz]

Was it an ACL injury or a hip injury?

[BucsNBills]

Was it an ACL injury or a hip injury?

Hip

[Cheb]

Was it an ACL injury or a hip injury?

It was a hip injury, my bad, will change the post.

[Babeinbucland]

though adding Morrison would future-proof us against the day where Dean leaves to cover grass for a different team.

Cracked me up all over again. Really great, funny line.

[Kona]

Hip injury. Hips were a lil stiff before (which gives me pause), but the talent is undeniable. If he doesn’t get injured he’s a first round pick. We needed CB depth badly, and he’s probably our CB2 incoming. Love it

[Bootz]

Was it an ACL injury or a hip injury?

It was a hip injury, my bad, will change the post.

No worries. You're the 2nd person here who said ACL injury. Thought he might have suffered both at some point.

[Babeinbucland]

Benjamin Morrison’s NFL Draft Scouting Report

Benjamin Morrison primarily aligned outside for the Fighting Irish and was often tasked with shadowing the opposing team’s No. 1 option — a challenge he never backed down from. He broke out as a true freshman and boasted elite ball production when healthy, but an injury-riddled 2024 campaign sullied his NFL Draft stock for teams.

How Morrison recovers from his hip injury will be key for evaluators, as hip injuries can be tricky for redirection and coverage mobility. That said, Morrison is trending up, and when he’s fresh, he’s one of the best man coverage defenders in the class.

With his effervescent quickness, competitive mentality, and short-area twitch, he can function as a gnat in press, and that same disruptive imprint shows up at the catch point.

At his best in 2022 and 2023, Morrison looked like a first-round talent. With any luck, he can get back to that level.


Benjamin Morrison’s NFL Draft Projection

In CSN’s 7-Round 2025 NFL Mock Draft from April 12, Morrison landed in Round 2 with the 37th overall pick. James Fragoza has this to say:

Benjamin Morrison’s hip surgery is a major red flag, but if he clears medicals, he’ll be a steal at a discounted price. His raw talent and agility suggest that his upside could be tremendous once he’s fully healthy.

In Max Dorsey’s 3-Round 2025 NFL Draft on CSN, Morrison was a late second-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks.

[Grahamburn]

Love.

[Bootz]

He reads more like a safety than CB in this defense.

[BucsNBills]

We now have 3 press corners that will be forced to play zone and then wonder why we have coverage issues...

[Babeinbucland]

Wouldn’t y”all think the Bucs would have had the convo with him of how he plays Vrs the Bucs system?

[BucsNBills]

Per pewter report we had a private workout with him where he did a full workout. All his medicals checked out.

Think we may have got a massive steal.

Draft just keeps getting better.

[BJJ34]

Saw this on X.

[BucsNBills]

Stole this from Reddit:

Posting these stats here too for visibility.

Top WRs vs Benmo in college:

vs Marvin Harrison jr - 3 catches for 32 yards

vs Brenden Rice - 2 catches for 18 yards

vs Jordan Addison - 3 catches for 45 yards

vs Josh Downs - 5 catches for 32 yards

vs Zay Flowers - 3 catches for 46 yards

vs Marvin Harrison jr - 5 catches for 56 yards

vs Puka nacua - 0 catches for 0 yards

[Primeminister]

Stole this from Reddit:

Posting these stats here too for visibility.

Top WRs vs Benmo in college:

vs Marvin Harrison jr - 3 catches for 32 yards

vs Brenden Rice - 2 catches for 18 yards

vs Jordan Addison - 3 catches for 45 yards

vs Josh Downs - 5 catches for 32 yards

vs Zay Flowers - 3 catches for 46 yards

vs Marvin Harrison jr - 5 catches for 56 yards

vs Puka nacua - 0 catches for 0 yards

Damn. I saw a few snaps against MHJr and the kid can cover. Those stats are damn good

[Jonny]

We got our new corner. Here's what I wrote about him back in January when I was talking about targets at #19 overall:

I personally love Benjamin Morrison, the 6'0" 190lb cornerback out of Notre Dame, but I don't think he fits our defense. Morrison lives by the press and dies by it, and thankfully he lives far more than he dies. Moreover, he plays a TON of man, which given his skills of course he should, but we are a very zone-heavy team. Dude's a great corner with lockdown potential, and if Bowles would let him play his game, I would love every minute. Bowles however may not love it, and want to go in a different direction that more fits his scheme. Moreover, Bowles may say that between Dean and Zyon, he's fine at outside corner thank you very much, though adding Morrison would future-proof us against the day where Dean leaves to cover grass for a different team.

I think he slipped to the second because of his hip injury. Dude's a good corner.

Welcome to Tampa, young man.

Edit: it was his hip that was injured, not his ACL.

Really loved reading your opinion of BM. Did not watch him at all. I have been a huge fan of Shavon Revel, Trey Amos and obviously Jahdae Barron. Sounds like Morrison brings better aptitude in man coverage than the two tall ones despite not being the athlete they are. I thought Barron was the most ideally suited versatile CB for Bowles defense based on how Bowles is zone heavy now. Could Morrison mean going back to press-man circa 2019-20?

[Terry Tate]

Maybe we can start letting out press corners play press again. Tired of that 30 yard cushion we constantly give receivers.

You need a pass rush to play press man. With Reddick in the fold, maybe we have one again.

[Doctor]

Big fan of Will Johnson. Don't how he falls to us but if so, run to the podium.

After him Morrison or Barron are my BPA CBs that could be there at 19.

Day 2 I love Alexander from LSU and Cobee Bryant, maybe as a safety.

Revel is like Morrison for me. If the injury checks out, I'm on board.

If Revel and Morrison had had fully healthy seasons they could've easily played themselves to the top of the CB rankings.

Smash freaking pick. I would've been happy with Benmo at 19. If the injury isn't an issue, he could end up being the to CB in this class. I love the pick, I love the fit, what a steal.

[Redrum]

Very impressive interview. Easy to root for. Let the hip heal up and he can be a very good man cover corner.

[Backside]

[Snake]

Gonna make me cry.

And typical Bowles. “Calm down (JFC)”

[Jonny]

Bowles is Dungy 2.0

[Sdbucs]

Looking ahead to his NFL projection, Morrison profiles as a scheme-versatile corner who can step in and contribute immediately in any coverage system. His combination of quick-twitch athleticism and advanced pattern recognition makes him particularly valuable in man-heavy schemes where he can put his mirroring skills to use. The hip injury shouldn't significantly impact his draft stock given his clean previous medical history and the modern advances in recovery protocols.

Morrison shows striking similarities to Marlon Humphrey in his early Baltimore years - a corner who can play bigger than his size through technique and competitive toughness. Teams running heavy man coverage schemes will particularly value his ability to match up in the slot or outside. While the durability question needs to be answered during the pre-draft process, Morrison's film shows a corner with genuine CB1 potential who could hear his name called in the first 40 picks.

In an NFL that increasingly demands corners who can play multiple techniques and match up across the formation, Morrison projects as an immediate contributor with Pro Bowl upside. His combination of ball skills, route recognition, and short-area quickness should translate well to the next level, particularly for teams employing multiple coverage schemes that will allow him to showcase his versatility.

[Doctor]

"Morrison healthy is the CB1."

[Central_Buc]

Scott Reynolds (Pewter Report) went on to mention that Ravens former S Ed Reed and Brett Favre had this same Hip procedure done and still had very good careers.

[Terry Tate]

Bowles is Dungy 2.0

No, Bowles actually built an offense here. Dungy got lucky and went to a team that already had Peyton Manning.

[Jonny]

Bowles is Dungy 2.0

No, Bowles actually built an offense here. Dungy got lucky and went to a team that already had Peyton Manning.

Agree. It is his character, temperament and father figure like mentality however that makes it really hard for me to trash Bowles when this team keeps going on losing streaks and the defense keeps getting worse year after year since he's taken over.

Can he become our lovable black defensive Andy Reid?

[Bootz]

Scott Reynolds (Pewter Report) went on to mention that Ravens former S Ed Reed and Brett Favre had this same Hip procedure done and still had very good careers.

Context matters.

Reed suffered a slight labrum tear very late in his career, in 2010. He was 32. He only played 3 more years after that.

Favre didn't have a torn hip labrum(that we know of). He had a degenerative hip condition that he played most of his career with. The fix for his condition was a hip replacement. Even if Favre had the same injury, the comparison is irrelevant. He's not covering skills players and changing direction split second.

Morrison is only 21. He should heal fine from this injury, although the timeline will vary depending on how nature of the tear and surgery. There will be some concern on his COD abilities, but if he checks out medically it shouldn't be a huge problem.

[Ken]

I think it's the right risk to take in the 2nd round. Pretty wide consensus that sans injury, he's a top 25 player/future CB1. Getting a 30 pick discount on that is priceless, and when the team followed that up with another corner in round 3 who's ready to compete for snaps tomorrow... really covered our bases. If Morrison misses, we can hope Parrish hits and be above average. If they both hit, we're set at DB post-Dean and likely for 4-5 years. Great upside, mitigated risk. Smart drafting.

[Snake]

The NFL fans across the interwebs love this dude.

[Bucsfan83]

Bowles is Dungy 2.0

No, Bowles actually built an offense here. Dungy got lucky and went to a team that already had Peyton Manning.

To be fair, he took over an existing one and added to it. As far as defense, let's be honest, injuries killed us last year. Granted there were concerns, on paper if we pick up a LB to replace that other linebacker we had (forgot his name) not LvD we should be set. Oh, and we got a top WR in the process (although I still question the pick, but not the player we got.)

[reagan SMASH]

I could watch these videos all day. This is awesome.

[Grahamburn]

That’s freaking great.