As the NFL Draft nears, the buzz on FIU’s James Morgan continues to grow. Here’s why

With this year’s NFL Draft set for April 23-25, the buzz on former FIU Panthers quarterback James Morgan is beginning to grow.

Just one credit short of earning his master’s degree in public administration, Morgan has the smarts, the size (6-4, 230 pounds) and the arm strength to attract NFL interest.

The only questions that remain — who will draft Morgan and in what round — can’t be answered until later this month. NFL general managers aren’t about to reveal their draft boards to the media, agents or anyone else.

Mock drafts, such as the one by CBS Sports that lists Morgan as a seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams, are merely “educated guesses,” and, even then, it’s open to question whether the emphasis should be on the first half of that phrase or the second.

But there’s no denying that Morgan has left an impression.

“[Morgan] has an innate sense of when to move inside the pocket,” the CBS scouting report read. “He has the internal clock of when the ball needs to come out.”

Meanwhile, at least one online draft analyst projects Morgan as a selection between rounds three and five.

Then, just a few days ago, a New York Post headline blared:

“Patriots’ quest to replace Tom Brady could involve lesser known James Morgan”.

The logic there is that the Patriots rolled the dice on a quarterback from a mid-major school previously, drafting Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round in 2014 out of Eastern Illinois. Three years later, the Patriots got their investment back, trading Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick.

So, what does Morgan think about all this hype regarding his draft status?

In a phone interview with the Miami Herald this week, Morgan’s first answer to a question about his performance at the East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg on Jan. 18 showed why he has become so popular with NFL coaches and general managers.

“The coolest thing was that the game [benefits Shriners Hospital for Children], and it was inspirational to be able to interact with those kids,” Morgan said. “You would think, based on their circumstances, that they would be [down], but it was just the opposite. They were very energetic, and it just put everything in perspective.”

Morgan threw a touchdown pass to lead the East to a 31-27 win, and he was also presented with the Pat Tillman Award, given to the player who best exemplifies character, intelligence, sportsmanship and community service.

Of the six quarterbacks in that game, Morgan had a game-high 116 yards passing, completing 9 of 14 attempts. He was not intercepted.

“I got to showcase my skills against great competition,” said Morgan, whose touchdown pass came on a slant pattern by Louisiana’s Ja’Marcus Bradley. “I felt it went well.”

In February, Morgan headed to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine, where he and the other athletes took part in medical exams as well as football-related tests of each player’s strength, speed, agility and explosiveness.

The part that Morgan said was “a lot of fun” was the whiteboard work with coaches. During a span of three hours, Morgan spent time with various coaching staffs, for intervals of 15 minutes each.

“This was talking ball,” Morgan said. “I got a slice of every team’s offense.

“It was different with every team. Some teams would diagram a play, erase it and then talk. Then they would later ask you to diagram that same play.

“Other teams would have you diagram one of your plays. Other teams would show you some of your good and bad plays on tape and ask you what you were thinking. You had to take accountability for the bad plays.”

FIU PANTHERS DRAFT HISTORY

Morgan is in position to become just the ninth player drafted in FIU history. The only ex-FIU quarterback ever drafted so far has been Alex McGough, who was selected in the seventh round, pick No. 220, by the Seattle Seahawks in 2018.

McGough, now with the Houston Texans, has yet to play in an NFL game, and it will be interesting to see if Morgan can get on the field before the player he succeeded as FIU’s quarterback.

Safety Johnathan Cyprien, picked in the second round, No. 33 overall, in 2013, holds the FIU record for being the earliest selection in program history.

Morgan is not likely to break that mark as he is likely slotted beyond the top two tiers of quarterback prospects.

Four quarterbacks appear ticketed for the first round: Joe Burrow (LSU), Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama), Justin Herbert (Oregon) and Jordan Love (Utah State).

The next tier, according to a consensus of mock drafts, includes Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma), Jake Fromm (Georgia) and Jacob Eason (Washington).

Morgan could be at the top of the next grouping. Among the quarterbacks who are now ranked below Morgan on some mock drafts are Nate Stanley (Iowa), Anthony Gordon (Washington State), Shea Patterson (Michigan); Kelly Bryant (Missouri), Jake Luton (Oregon State); Tyler Huntley (Utah); Steven Montez (Colorado), Cole McDonald (Hawaii), Brian Lewerke (Michigan State) and Mason Fine (Morgan’s former Conference USA rival at North Texas).

Huntley, who is from Hallandale High, had a phenomenal 2019 season, completing 73.1 percent of his passes for 3,092 yards, 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He also completed 79 percent of his under-pressure pass attempts and was accurate on 65 percent of his deep passes. The knock on him is his height at 6-1, but there’s a long list of NFL QBs who have overcome that issue.

Luton, who is 6-7, also had a huge season, passing for 28 touchdowns and 2,714 yards and giving up just three interceptions.

AN FIU SINGLE-SEASON RECORD

Montez set 43 Colorado records, including 9,467 career passing yards. Bryant led Clemson to the 2017 College Football Playoffs before losing his job to Trevor Lawrence. Gordon put up monster numbers in 2019 (5,579 yards and 48 touchdown passes). And Stanley is just the second Iowa QB to go 3-0 in bowl games.

Yet, Morgan, who set FIU’s single-season touchdown record when he passed for 26 scores in 2018, seems to be hot right now. He had 12 different teams set to visit him for predraft interviews before they were called off due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But Morgan had the perfect response when asked about the disruption to the normal predraft process.

“It’s disappointing not to get that face-to-face interaction,” Morgan said. “But I’ve been doing video interviews.

“Playing quarterback is about thinking on your feet and responding. I think I’ve shown my adaptability.”

This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 11:51 AM.