Former Nebraska football wide receiver was trying to impress NFL scouts at the combine Saturday and he did enough to solidify his stock for the NFL draft.
When Nebraska football starts humming the way that head coach Scott Frost wants it to be, the Huskers will have more than one player representing them at the NFL combine.
But for now, the Huskers are still in rebuilding mode and after a 2018 season that saw Nebraska football post a record of 4-8, only one player was given an invitation to the combine, which gives players a chance to showcase their skills for all 32 NFL teams.
Devine Ozigbo probably should have been given that chance, however, Morgan was the lone Nebraska football player and for his part, he tested pretty well.
Morgan isn’t a highly regarded prospect or anything despite racking up over 2,700 receiving yards in his four-year career with the Huskers. Last season, he went over 1,000 yards for Nebraska and racked up 535 yards on passes of longer than 20 yards, making him one of the best deep threats in the Big Ten conference.
Official Group 2 WR 40s (cont'd):
— Dion Caputi (@nfldraftupdate) March 2, 2019
7. Dillon Mitchell, @OregonFootball - 4.46
8. Jaylen Smith, @UofLFootball - 4.47
9. Deebo Samuel, @GamecockFB - 4.48
10. Bisi Johnson, @CSUFootball - 4.51
t11. Diontae Johnson, @ToledoFB - 4.53
t11. Stanley Morgan Jr., @HuskerFBNation - 4.53
That is certainly a skill set that should transfer over to the NFL, although teams might have had a legitimate concern about Morgan’s speed before Saturday when he ran the 40-yard dash in a solid 4.53.
While that isn’t blazing by any means, Morgan didn’t need to run crazy fast in order to make sure he got drafted, he just needed to avoid running something in the 4.6-4.7 range. And even though he didn’t have one of the best times among the wide receivers, he put together a good showing in the 3-cone drill, which demonstrates his short-area quickness.
Best 3-cone times among WRs:
— Chase Goodbread (@ChaseGoodbread) March 2, 2019
Miles Boykin: 6.77
Stanley Morgan: 6.78
Hunter Renfrow: 6.80
Cody Thompson: 6.87
Bisi Johnson: 6.88
Andy Isabella: 6.95
Terry Godwin: 6.96
David Sills: 6.97
Nobody else was sub-7.00.#NFLCombine
To be clear, Morgan didn’t really move the meter with what he ran but with his size and speed, he basically confirmed that he is a prospect worth drafting. This draft class is deep at wide receiver and that’s something he will continue to battle against.
However, with his hands, route-running ability and his proven ability to make plays down the field, Morgan is definitely worth taking a chance on in the last few rounds. I could see him going as early as the fifth round or as late as the seventh.
However, with his production, his potential, and his solid testing, there’s no reason to expect he won’t hear his name called when the 2019 NFL draft rolls around.