Big Blue View
Could Morrison start opposite Deonte Banks for the Giants?
Cornerback is commonly cited as one of the New York Giants’ primary needs apart from quarterback and defensive tackle.
Whether or not the Giants themselves agree with the assessment largely depends on how they feel about the development of Cor’Dale Flott heading into his fourth year. If the Giants don’t view Flott as a starter, they’ll need another cornerback to play opposite Deonte Banks.
If so, Benjamin Morrison from Notre Dame could be high on the Giants’ radar. Morrison was highly regarded to start the 2024 season and generally believed to be one of the very best cornerbacks in this draft class. Then his season was ended prematurely by a hip injury which required surgery to repair.
When healthy, Morrison is highly regarded for his football IQ, competitiveness, ability, and versatility. He could wind up being a steal for the team that drafts him.
Prospect: Benjamin Morrison (20)
Games Watched: vs. Ohio State (2023), vs. Louisville (2023), vs. USC (2023), vs. Texas A&M (2024)
Red Flags: Hip (2024)
Height: 6-foot (estimated)
Weight: 190 pounds (estimated)
Best traits
Morrison is a good-sized corner at 6-foot, 190 pounds, who appears to have a good blend of length and athleticism for the NFL.
Morrison has experience in a wide variety of coverage schemes in Notre Dame’s defense. He’s played in press-man, off-man, and zone coverages, and executed all of them at a high level. Morrison has the quick feet and fluid hips to routinely play man coverage at the NFL level, as well as the awareness, football IQ, and communication skills to play zone coverage.
He’s a physical cornerback who has no problem matching up with X receivers in tight coverage, and understands how to use his hands to maintain contact without overtly interfering with the receiver. Morrison’s feet and hips are good enough that he can be extremely sticky in coverage and even run routes for average athletes at the receiver position. He also understands how to position himself and influence routes to use the sideline as an extra defender.
Morrison shows a solid understanding of offensive concepts and is generally able to navigate the schemed separation in most route concepts. He doesn’t give up much separation to traffic and has enough athleticism to recover and be a factor at the catch point. He’s physical at the catch point. His length and physicality allow him to disrupt catches.
He has a quick trigger to come downhill out of zone coverage. That makes him effective defending underneath passes from a zone look, as well as an effective run defender. Morrison is able to take on and shed blockers to make plays on the ball carrier and is a willing hitter.
Worst traits
The biggest question right now for Morrison is in regards to his health after his hip injury. Hip fluidity is a big...
