Meet the Titans: Derrick Morgan
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Good Morning Titans Fans, it’s good to be back. Sorry it’s been oh about a week since I’ve posted an article here. Yeah….finals will do that to you. I wrote and posted this article on a fight from Chicago to Savannah, GA…how cool is that…anyways I’m getting off track here.
Derrick Morgan mercifully fell to the Titan’s lap with the 16th overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. This was certainly the best pick the Titans could have had, but I digress. Here is part 3 of Meet the Titans
The Good: Morgan is the most polished of all the DE’s in this draft. He will be able to step in from day 1 and deliver consistent results. He is a big DE, at 6-4, 277 lbs. He has been characterized as an outstanding competitor, which is always good. Scouts say he has an incredibly high motor, and a pretty decent first step. He has pretty good speed, but not truly elite speed. Excellent power. Morgan improved his overall hand use and counter moves as a pass rusher during his two years at Georgia Tech, and has good quickness to close to the QB. He is a prototypical 4-3 DE.
The Bad: While Morgan is the most polished of all the DE’s in the draft, he is not the most athletic. He does not have the same Jevon Kearsesque (like my made up word there?) freakish athletic ability. That honor would go to Jason Pierre-Paul and his back flips. Not the speediest DE, but does a good job of getting to the QB. Morgan needs to improve his pad level and power at the point as a run defender.
Where Does He Fit In: Morgan looks to be a starting DE for the Titans pretty much from day 1. Morgan has no choice essentially. The Titans have lost Kyle Vanden Bosch, and have not as of now resigned Jevon Kearse, so Morgan will have ample opportunity to prove that the Titans picked the right player.
Overall: If y’all are going to force me to grade him, I’ll give this pick an A. The Titans had hoped Pierre-Paul would fall all the way to 16 for them, and he didn’t. Derrick Morgan wasn’t even a thought really; he was supposed to be off the board by pick 16 for sure. Him falling to the Titans at pick 16 was a blessing.