James Morgan Overview
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6′ 4″
Weight: 230 pounds
School: Florida International University
James Morgan 2020 NFL Draft Profile
James Morgan saw a lot of action in his two seasons at Florida International. He transferred there from Bowling Green after his sophomore season. It was a good decision, and he’s excelled in Florida. His junior and senior seasons he combined for a total of 40 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. He was a steady force under center and did not make many mistakes. In 2019 he three for 2560 yards and 14 touchdowns against only five interceptions. His junior year he was Conference USA newcomer of the year after accounting for 26 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
James Morgan attended high school in Green Bay, WI. Morgan played for Ashwaubenon High School. He received offers to play at North Dakota State, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, and Ball State but ultimately opted for Bowling Green. James Morgan was seen as the second-best prospect in the state of Wisconsin and won Offensive Player of the Year for his conference as a senior. Morgan was also a standout basketball player but chose to pursue football.
Morgan had a solid 2019 season. He played very well and didn’t make a lot of mistakes under center. That said, his film from his junior season is much better. He seemed to force throws more as a senior and battled a knee injury nearly all season that slowed him down as well. He has moments where he shows every bit of an NFL arm, but more often than not his lack of mobility and inability to be consistently accurate is an issue for him. The best traits he possesses are the ability to protect the football, big arm, and size. He does tend to carry the football too low and can be fumble prone in the pocket.
Strengths
- He’s very accurate, throws the deep ball well;
- Willingness to stay in the pocket and complete the ball late under pressure;
- He does a good job not forcing passes into traffic;
- Big arm and prototypical size for a pocket passer;
- Very good footwork and dropback skills.
Weaknesses
- Morgan does not have a prototypical release, can be a little slow;
- He sometimes holds the ball too long and takes sacks instead of throwing the ball away;
- Morgan does not have good speed, not a lot of ability outside of the pocket;
- Can be prone to fumbling in the pocket due to how low he holds the ball;
- Struggles to make it through his progressions at times.
NFL Comparison: Blaine Gabbert
Teams With Need at Position: Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans
Projection: 3rd-5th Round
Bottom Line on James Morgan
James Morgan is a skilled quarterback and had back to back good seasons at Florida International. He transferred there after two lackluster seasons at Bowling Green. In his final two years, he threw 40 touchdowns against only 12 interceptions. His senior year his stats fell off a little as he struggled with a nagging knee injury. He performed well at the NFL combine and turned heads during the week at the East/West Shrine Game. He’s been getting a lot of buzz and scouts love his arm, size, and intelligence. He has a handful of teams very interested and could surprise by going as early as round 2. He’s seen a bit of a project with a high ceiling.
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