Seahawks draft profile: James Morgan might be Russell Wilson’s new backup

The Seahawks seem to have a rotating backup every season behind Russell Wilson. That could stop in 2020 if they pick James Morgan in the NFL draft.

The Seahawks backup quarterback position is a lot like the defense against the dark arts teacher in Harry Potter: Every year there is a different one. The good thing for Seattle is that since Russell Wilson became its quarterback, no other quarterback has played. Ever. Not in regular season games or playoff games. And Wilson has only missed two practices and both because he was attending funerals.

In 2019, Wilson’s backup was Geno Smith, but Smith is a free agent this offseason. Before Smith, it was Austin Davis and the list goes on before that. But the time might be now to think about drafting Wilson’s backup and keeping that player around for a few seasons. Having a solid backup but one who came up through the Seattle system is a win-win. That player could be James Morgan.

Morgan spent his last two college years at Florida International. This is a good thing. No matter what one might think about Butch Davis and his past issues, Davis does know a thing or two about preparing players for the NFL having coached with the Browns for several years. Davis was Morgan’s head coach at FIU. Morgan might be about as ready as most other quarterbacks coming out in the NFL draft this year.

Strengths

James Morgan does not have a ton of mobility, sure. But he does some other things that are Wilson-like. The Seahawks will look for a quarterback who can do a few things. One of them is run the same kind of offense Wilson does. Another is a quarterback who can throw a good deep ball. But another is a quarterback who will not turn the ball over.

Morgan does two of these traits well. First, he is accurate on deep throws and has good arm strength to get the ball where it needs to be. He isn’t Wilson, but few humans ever have been. But he would also learn from Wilson how to enhance his technique.

Morgan also doesn’t turn the ball over. This might be the most important thing for Seahawks coaches. Putting a young guy in the game is not a great scenario anyway, but one who might immediately throw a pick is worse. Morgan threw just 12 interceptions his final two years in college. He makes smart choices.

Weaknesses

Morgan is 6-foot-4-inches and weighs 215 pounds. He is big and strong but he is not overly quick or elusive. He compounds this lack of inability to escape pressure but a long throwing motion. In the NFL, if he is under pressure, which with the Seahawks line in front of him he would be, Morgan will go down. As long as he doesn’t rushed throws fine, but for a young guy trying to prove himself, he might sometimes force things.

Overall

Morgan could go anywhere from the third round through the seventh. If he is available in the fifth round, the Seahawks might take him. Not that Seattle needs to find Russell Wilson’s replacement any time soon, of course, but finding a decent young quarterback with potential that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer can teach would be nice. Morgan isn’t going to outrun anyone, but Seattle likes to throw the ball deep and Morgan can do that.