Overview
Position: Center
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 303 Lbs.
School: Pittsburgh
Pro Day Performance Data
40-yard dash: 5.31 seconds
Vertical jump: 31”
Broad jump: 8’9”
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 26
Jimmy Morrissey 2021 NFL Draft Profile
The path to the draft for Jimmy Morrissey wasn’t easy, but now he presents teams with a promising center. Morrissey was an unknown, zero-star prospect out of LaSalle College High School in Glenside, PA, receiving no college offers. Walking on at Pittsburgh in 2016, he received a redshirt during his first year on campus. From there, Morrissey never rode the pine again, becoming a four-year starter at center for the Panthers. Following the 2020 season, he earned the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the top college player who started as a walk-on. However, he coupled that with All-ACC First-Team honors to cap an impressive senior season.
While he’s a little undersized, Morrissey proved robust and consistent on the Pitt offensive line. Earning a 69.0 offensive grade in 2020, he was Pro Football Focus’s 37th-ranked center in the college game. He also posted a 69.7 grade in the running game, which was the 30th best mark among his peers. Granted, he’ll need to prove that he can compensate for being undersized. Already, he doesn’t show too much agility and that could curve his ability to play either of the guard spots. Still, he embarrasses physicality and plays the game with a lot of intelligence. He’ll need to prove to teams that packaging on muscle will improve his game, but that might be realistic.
Strengths
- Gets off the snap with a sense of urgency
- Footwork looks strong as a pass blocker
- Does a nice job sticking up defenders even as plays extend
- Looks unphased by a defender’s punches
- Keeps his feet chopping while still maintaining power
- Gets hands inside a defender’s chest pads and controls them well
- Sets a low and powerful base
- Finishes his blocks and gets defenders on the ground
- Pushes the pile in short-yardage situations
Weaknesses
- Doesn’t have the ideal size for the pro game
- Gets blown back when taking on blitzing linebackers
- Occasionally gets off-kilter when attempting to lunge at defenders
- Doesn’t show the best agility or movement skills on the line
- Looks a little lost when moving out to block on screens
- Not impressive in hand-to-hand combat
NFL Comparison: Billy Price
Teams With Need at Position: Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers,
Projection: Seventh Round
Bottom Line on Jimmy Morrissey
Proving a high intellect and work ethic prospect in this year’s class, Jimmy Morrissey is an interesting name to watch. Certainly, his physical tools leave something to be desired and will likely cause him to slip. In reality, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Morrissey become an undrafted free agent. Still, he’s the kind of undrafted free agent who could prove to be a very worthy investment. Climbing the latter from college walk-on to become an all-conference player, teams can believe in his work ethic. If he packs on some pounds at the next level, there’s no reason he can’t develop into a trustworthy center. Still, his lack of positional flexibility does hurt his ability to prove worthy of a late-round pick.
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