With Their First Pick in the 2024 Draft GB Selects OT Jordan Morgan

I would have ranked Morgan ahead of Barton except for the injury question. Needless to say, that's the biggest problem the Packers have had over the years. Injuries kill us.

I think the arm length question is not nearly as important as some people want to think it is. We're talking at most, 3 to 4 inches. To me, I always liked guys who could keep their hands inside, and use a punch block on the guy across from them. It keeps the defender off stride, and can really stop them from making a lot of their moves. It's something I liked in Barton as well, so it's kind of a toss-up.

The only question I have is how long it will take for Morgan to be ready to step in, no matter what role they decide for him. I think we need him being game ready when the season starts, or not far in. Knowing the Packer offensive line, there will be injuries and our bench strength is horrible.
 
TW said:
I would have ranked Morgan ahead of Barton except for the injury question. Needless to say, that's the biggest problem the Packers have had over the years. Injuries kill us.
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thankfully, the packers have had great success in drafting injured offensive linemen in the first round.
 
This is one player that I was not familiar with. But from your responses it sounds like he may be helpful. As usual Gutey does the unexpected.
 
I disslike this pick, not so much for the player chosen but the position. I feel that safety, inside linebacker and cornerback are more urgent needs. There are open starter spots in those positions. The OL is set for starters. I know we need depth at the OL and not opposed to drafting a couple OL guys but later on, like 4h round or so and later. GB doesnt have the best track record for OL guys taken high and seems to do better in the middle rounds. He may very well turn out to be a good player, I just wanted the OL picks to come later..
 
Scoremore12 said:
I disslike this pick, not so much for the player chosen but the position. I feel that safety, inside linebacker and cornerback are more urgent needs. There are open starter spots in those positions. The OL is set for starters. I know we need depth at the OL and not opposed to drafting a couple OL guys but later on, like 4h round or so and later. GB doesnt have the best track record for OL guys taken high and seems to do better in the middle rounds. He may very well turn out to be a good player, I just wanted the OL picks to come later..
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I think what happens tonight will change the perception of this pick. it's a lot like the LVN pick last year. It felt worse at that moment but once Day 2 came and they had a WR and two TE, which were bigger needs than edge, the LVN pick made more sense.

Similarly, this year all the OT were flying off the board. GB has had good luck finding guys later but that's not a reliable method, and they certainly needed high end depth on the OL. S, ILB and CB are bigger needs but overall the players available aren't first round talent. It's all still in front of them tonight and I think these next 4 picks will make or break this draft, so hopefully they fill some holes.
 
Scouting service breakdown on him

JORDAN MORGAN | Arizona 6050 | 311 lbs. | 5SR Marana, Ariz. (Marana) 8/4/2001 (age 22.73) #7
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BACKGROUND: Jordan Morgan, one of three children (brother and sister), was born and raised in the Tucson area. His father (John) is a Tucson police officer. Morgan started playing football in third grade but didn’t love it and briefly gave it up after only one year. Because his older brother played football, he returned to the sport in middle school. Morgan enrolled at Cholla High School, where he played quarterback and tight end as a 5-foot-10, 180-pound freshman. He transferred to Marana High School as a sophomore. He hit a growth spurt (six inches) and started to gain weight, moving to the offensive line. As a junior, Morgan started at ri ght tackle and on the defensive line, helping Marana to an undefeated 12-0 record. As a senior, Morgan moved to left tackle and earned All-State honors, adding 29 tackles on defense and again leading Marana to the state playoffs. He also lettered in track and advanced to states as a senior in 2019, setting personal bests of 50 feet, 9 inches in the shot put and 139-4 in the discus and 149-6 in the javelin.


A three-star recruit, Morgan was the No. 138 offensive tackle in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 30 recruit in Arizona. With his late growth spurt, he wasn’t well-known on the recruiting trail until he attended a camp at Northern Arizona the summer before his senior year. The FCS host school was the first to offer Morgan, followed by head coach Kevin Sumlin and Arizona. Soon after, Morgan committed to his hometown program. Arizona State and USC entered the picture late and extended offers during his senior year (Morgan came close to flipping to the Trojans), but he wanted to stay home so his fami ly could more easily attend home games and events. He was planning to leave for the NFL after the 2022 season, but his late-season ACL injury led him back to Arizona for his fifth season in 2023.

Random fact: He loves horror movies (has tattoos of Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Pennywise and others). Morgan opted out of the 2023 bowl game and accepted his
invitation to the 2024 Senior Bowl.
YEAR (GP/GS) POSITION NOTES
2019: (6/2) LT Planned to redshirt, but injuries forced him to play (first career start came vs. Oregon and Kayvon Thibodeaux)
2020: (2/2) LT Missed final three games (injury); Pandemic-shortened season
2021: (11/11) LT Missed season opener (left ankle sprain)
2022: (10/10) LT Honorable Mention All-Pac-12; Missed final two games (right knee)
2023: (12/12) LT First Team All-Pac-12; Team captain; Missed bowl game (opt-out)
Total: (41/37) LT
HT WT HAND ARM WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 6050 311 10 7/8 32 7/8 81 3/8 5.04 2.88 1.69 28 9’2” - - - (no shuttle, 3-cone, skills — hamstring)


PRO DAY 6051 306 11 32 7/8 81 3/8 - - - - - - - 27 (no shuttle or 3-cone — choice)


STRENGTHS: Natural knee-bender and stays balanced in his pass sets … NFL-quality feet, body control and size/length … fast eyes to comfortably pass off and pick up rushers … initiates contact in the run game with an aggressive mentality … explosive take off and range when pulling or on outside zone … has the strength in his hands to turn/seal edge defenders … able to re-leverage his body as a drive blocker and when combating bull rushers … trusted by the coaching staff and doesn’t receive much help on the left side … well-regarded as a leader in the program and was named a 2023 captain (Arizona offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll:


“Fantastic role model. He’s a beacon in the weight room, the guys follow him and get behind him.”) … after struggling to maintain weight in the past, he added 60
pounds since enrolling at Arizona … stayed healthy as a senior.


WEAKNESSES: Average lateral range and doesn’t always get proper depth as a pass blocker … caught drifting outside, which creates soft inside shoulders (two holding penalties in 2023) … hands are adequately timed but not always forceful to knock away long arms or power-based moves (needs to do a better job breaking contact
to aid his anchor) … can be jostled in the run game by side-angle blocks … battled several ankle injuries, including a high left ankle sprain during preseason camp


(August 2021), which caused him to miss the season opener and play through pain most of the year; season-ending torn right ACL (November 2022), requiring surgery
and leading him back to Arizona for a fifth season … left tackle only in college and doesn’t have in-game guard experience (100 percent of college snaps came at OT).


SUMMARY: A four-year starter at Arizona, Morgan was a constant at left tackle in offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll’s zone -based scheme (Carroll is the son of Pete Carroll and was the assistant offensive line coach for the Seattle Seahawks from 2015-21).

After Arizona won a combined five games during his first three seasons on campus, Morgan helped lead the program’s turnaround in 2023 (Arizona won 10 games in a season for just the second time since 1998). A quick-footed blocker, Morgan displays range and aggression in the run game and gets on top of rushers quickly in his jump sets when he uses well-timed hands.

His struggles in pass protection come when he is overaggressive with his kickslide and gets too far up the arc, which can create a two-way go for rushers and open the door for inside
counters. Overall, Morgan struggles to anchor mid-slide versus power, but he is a balanced mover who is well-schooled and physical in all phases. Though he can
survive at tackle in the NFL, his skill set projects much better inside at guard, similar to Matthew Bergeron.

GRADE: 1st-2nd Round (No. 29 overall)
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If a person did their research based on positional depth, it showed that the #1 need was for an offensive lineman who could make a difference, and even be a possible candidate to play left tackle, if needed. The other priority is getting someone who can play safety in the new Packer defense, and a cornerback. Those two issues will be handled in round 2 and 3, along with adding an interior linebacker which is another deeper need. Also, don't be surprised if there's another offensive lineman picked up early tomorrow. Maybe someone like Bortolini, who would be a decent option at center.
 
People were complaining on the Morgan pick but this shows you Gute knew what he was doing because the good OTs were one after round 1.

@ByRyanWood

#Packers drafted Jordan Morgan at No. 25. He was 6th offensive tackle drafted. Tyler Guyton became 7th four picks later.Took 26 picks for another tackle to be drafted.
 
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