Change your heart or die: Evaluating Seahawks 2023 draft class
By Matthew Holm
Seahawks 5th round, pick 151: DE Mike Morris, Michigan
As the draft continues, the questions I started pondering last pick are picking up steam. Mike Morris played defensive end in a 4-3 system in college, is listed at 6'5" and 275 lbs, but claims he is up to 295 per Pete Carroll's request.
Mike Morris told reporters just now that he's weighing 295 and the #Seahawks told him to get bigger than 275 at combine.
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) April 29, 2023
He expects he will be playing 3-tech/4i in Seattle.
Now, that could mean a couple of different things. It's not unusual for 3-4 4i-techs to bulk up at the NFL level. Cam Heyward and Calais Campbell are two great examples — Heyward especially is of similar build to Morris.
On the other hand, Clint Hurtt reportedly mentioned Morris playing some 3-tech in Seattle's call to Morris to inform him they'd drafted him. Additionally, a build of 6'5" and 295 is pretty comparable to Michael Bennett's 6'4" and 285.
#Seahawks DC Clint Hurtt to Mike Morris on #NFLDraft call:
— Matty F. Brown (@mattyfbrown) April 29, 2023
"Listen, you don't have to worry about backing up from the table anymore, you hear me? You keeping the damn calories on."
"Let's get ready to go to work man, get you inside at 3-technique, and let's keep on growing."
As for who Morris is as a player, he's tall and stiff for a defensive end, but generates good power and leverage. He's also unusually quick for being as stiff around the edge as he is. The traits he possesses in tandem are a bit of a rarity at the NFL level.
Morris didn't test particularly well at the combine, and if it's true that he also played his senior year at Michigan at 290, then it's also fair to question whether it's a smart idea to move him inside or ask him to play 3-4 end. The production was there from the 4-3 end position — Morris won the Big Ten DL of the Year award last year.
What I'm left with is basically the same question I had regarding Young — how does Seattle intend to use him? They're talking as though both are going to be used in typical 3-4 positions, aside from the actual defensive coordinator, and what I see is closer to Seattle's classic 4-3 LEO. Granted, Pete Carroll is notorious for being liberal with the truth in the press, but the harder I look at what they're building, the less I understand about their intentions.
I'll need more time to grade this one. If they're playing 3-4 this year, this pick nets a D from me, but if they're going back to the LEO, I like it well enough to give it a B+.
Grade: Incomplete