Patriots draft profile: Jordan Morgan is a well-rounded offensive tackle prospect

The Arizona product is one of the best tackles available in this year’s draft.

Outside of the quarterback position, offensive tackle is the biggest need on the New England Patriots’ current roster. The team has no established starter on the left side, after all, and might be in the market for a player to fill that pivotal spot in the lineup from the get-go.

Luckily for New England, there are a few players available in this year’s draft that could do just that. One of them is fringe first-rounder Jordan Morgan.

Hard facts

Name: Jordan Morgan

Position: Offensive tackle

School: Arizona

Opening day age: 23 (8/4/2001)

Measurements: 6’5”, 311 lbs, 81 3/8” wingspan, 32 7/8” arm length, 10 7/8” hand size, 5.04s 40-yard dash, 28.0” vertical jump, 9’2” broad jump, 9.24 Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Career statistics: 41 games (37 starts) | 2,404 offensive snaps, 125 special teams snaps | 69 quarterback pressures surrendered (10 sacks, 11 hit, 48 hurries)

Accolades: First-team All-Pac 12 (2023), Honorable mention All-Pac 12 (2022)

Playing both along the offensive and defensive lines during his time at Marana High School in his Arizona hometown, Morgan stayed in state for his college career. The three-star recruit joined the University of Arizona in 2019 and as a true freshman went on to appear in six games with two starts at left tackle. It was a sign of things to come.

Over the ensuing four years, he added 35 more starts to his total — all of which as the Wildcats’ left tackle. Along the way, he did not just gain experience but steadily improved as his overall game. By his 2023 campaign, he was one of college football’s better players at his position and named to the first All-Pac 12 team. He was invited to both the NFL Scouting Combine and the Senior Bowl following his final year at Arizona.

Draft profile

Expected round: Late 1-Early 2 | Consensus big board: No. 36 | Patriots meeting: N/A

Strengths: Morgan is a well-rounded offensive tackle prospect who is a well-developed both as a pass protector and a run blocker. It is not hard to see why. He offers a good frame and sturdy build, and combines it with some impressive baseline athleticism as well as an advanced technical toolbox, outstanding footwork, and explosion out of his stance.

His feet are quick with few wasted steps and he uses an effective kick slide. This does not only allow him to mirror opposing pass rushers, but also to recover quickly and react to counter and misdirection moves by his opponent. He also has shown good balance and a sturdy, wide base to absorb power rushes, and is active and precise with his massive hands: he places his 95 percentile mitts well and also can disarm pass rushers in an instant.

Both as a pass und run blocker, Morgan has shown a feel for leverage. He also operates exceptionally well when on the move, and is capable of quickly getting to his target areas as a zone blocker and in the screen game. He can smoothly climb to the second level without much effort, and is out for blood when charging at defenders in open space. He also possesses the appropriate core strength to move bodies in hat-on-a-hat blocking.

Weaknesses: The biggest concern with Morgan is his lack of natural length. While he is adequately tall at 6-foot-5 and 311 pounds, his 81 3/8-inch wingspan, 32 7/8-inch arm length rank only in the 38 and 9 percentile for offensive tackle prospects. Accordingly, teams might prefer moving him inside to guard to better mask those deficiencies.

As a tackle, Morgan needs to work around this issue. And while he did well against Pac 12 opposition, there are questions about NFL pass rushers being able to counteract him effectively and challenge his natural leverage as a result. Add the fact that his hand usage is sometimes a bit imprecise and you can see why teams might be hesitant to invest a high draft pick in him — even with him being an overall intriguing package.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? Morgan projects as a starting-caliber left tackle in the Patriots’ system, and might just end up being the top guy right from the get-go: as opposed to other tackles in this year’s class, he could be a Day 1 starter. Even if he gets eased into the mix, he should be expected to see the field regularly in 2024 as a second-string LT who might have value as an extra sixth lineman.

What is his growth potential? The expectation would be for Morgan to be the Patriots’ starting left tackle no later than 2025. There might be questions about his ceiling due to his natural lack of elite length, but he has the athletic foundation and technical refinement to become a high end starter early in his rookie contract.

Does he have positional versatility? While some teams might view him as a guard, all 2,404 of his offensive snaps in college saw him line up at left tackle. From that perspective, his versatility appears to be limited. Where he might be able to help outside of that spot is special teams: Morgan has experience playing on the field goal and extra point protection units.

Why the Patriots? As noted above, the Patriots are in dire need of some upgrades at left tackle. Few players relative to their current draft portfolio — i.e. picks No. 3, No. 34, and No. 68 in the first three rounds — are better suited to fill this role right from the start than Morgan. He is, frankly, one of the best tackles in this year’s class and could immediately answer the current questions at this pivotal position.

Why not the Patriots? Morgan’s arm length and associated lack of natural range might end up as a disqualifier for the Patriots. In addition, he may not be available in the early second round: if a team like the Dallas Cowboys or Miami Dolphins identifies him as a future left tackle, he might be gone by the team New England is back on the clock 34th overall.

One-sentence verdict: Morgan’s biggest flaw is a notable one, but it should not overshadow the fact that he is as starter-ready a left tackle as you will find in this year’s draft.

What do you think about Jordan Morgan as a potential Patriots target? Does his size concern you? Or do you think he can still be a quality left tackle in the NFL? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.