| INDIANAPOLIS — On
my way out of the Indiana Convention Center conference room where NFL Draft Day hopefuls
met the media, I spotted what looked to be an exclusive exchange between LB Dan Morgan of
Miami (Fla.) and a reporter. The two were standing just outside the conference room,
the reporter leaning against the wall, scribbling away into a notepad. Morgan watched as
he talked, hands in his pockets in a relaxed sort of way.
What struck me as odd was that the reporter had every chance in the world to speak with
Morgan in the room. Reporters have great access to the players. NFL officials bring the
players into the conference room, where they are seated at large, round tables. Reporters
then join the players at these tables and ask questions. All sorts of questions.
Nevertheless, I considered Morgan’s private conversation a special circumstance
and walked on. Upon my return to the conference room, the two were done talking, and I
took a closer look at this reporter. That’s when I realized this reporter wasn’t
a reporter at all.
It was Jack Del Rio.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that discussion. There was Del Rio, one of the
NFL’s all-time tackle machines, speaking with Morgan, currently PFW’s top-ranked
collegiate inside linebacker. In 11 NFL seasons, Del Rio, now the Ravens’ LB coach,
recorded more than 1,000 tackles. LB studs such as Minnesota’s Ed McDaniel and
Baltimore’s Ray Lewis have credited Del Rio with improving their game.
But what would Del Rio want with Morgan? After all, having won the Super Bowl, the
Ravens’ first pick in the 2001 NFL draft doesn’t come around until No. 31
overall. And on PFW’s early mock draft, Morgan is predicted to go to the Jaguars at
No. 13.
But why wouldn’t Del Rio want Morgan? He’s started since the fourth game of
his true freshman year, when he led the Hurricanes with 105 tackles. In four college
seasons, Morgan had 532 tackles, earning All-Big East honors, All-America honors and the
Nagurski, Bednarik and Butkus awards.
Then it dawned on me. Ravens LB Jamie Sharper is scheduled to become an unrestricted
free agent March 2. Sharper plays on the weak side. Scouts project Morgan to play on the
weak side. The Ravens might not be able to afford Sharper, given that they have 13 other
unrestricted free agents and are believed to be in pursuit of free-agent QB Brad Johnson.
Morgan might fill a need, so Del Rio pursued him. It’s likely that Morgan
interviewed formally with the Ravens — among other teams — and that Del Rio was
simply looking for a little more information. But the connection was clear. Might
Baltimore be looking to trade up for Morgan, or do the Ravens believe he might fall for
some reason? The latter is unlikely, so Morgan seems to have piqued the Ravens’
interest.
Rest assured, they’re not alone. Morgan is as driven a football player as there
is. For years he’s kept a notebook filled with personal goals, many of which
he’s met. It takes a lot to sideline Morgan. He should have missed weeks in his
college career with a broken thumb (’98) and badly sprained toe (2000), but he never
did.
Scouts call Morgan a tremendous hustler and competitor. They praise his intangibles,
his toughness and his instincts. Wrote one talent evaluator: "Some children are
trained all their life for the Olympics, golf or tennis. Morgan was trained to be a
football player because that is what he wanted."
Morgan also wants to be a first-round pick. Rest assured, he will be. |
