Sep 23, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) makes a catch as Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison (20) defends in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. The catch was reviewed and ruled and incomplete pass and Morrison was given a pass interference penalty. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Benjamin Morrison CB Notre Dame | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Benjamin Morrison CB Notre Dame
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| ROLE: Outside Man/Press CB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 02/19/2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.39 seconds (86%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 20.11 DOB: 03/11/2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ROLE: Outside Man/Press CB | |
| Last Updated: 02/19/2025 | |
| Draft Year: 2025 | |
| 40 time: 4.39 seconds (86%*) | |
| Age: 20.11 DOB: 03/11/2004 | |
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SHARE THIS PROFILE:
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| Overall Rating: | 86.3 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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78% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 59.6 | |
| Tackling: |
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63% |
| Run Defense: |
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74% |
| Coverage: |
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81% |
| Zone: |
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78% |
| Man/Press: |
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79% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
2nd - Mid
Overall Rank:
#45
Position rank:
#7
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| College Games: 30 College Snaps: 1495 | ||
ESPN RATING: 80/100
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247 RATING: 90/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.8 (95%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Booth Jr. - Clemson |
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92% |
| Greg Newsome II - Northwestern |
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88% |
| Tyrique Stevenson - Miami |
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87% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Born March 11, 2004, in Phoenix, Arizona, Benjamin Morrison comes from a family of elite athletes, with all four siblings competing at the Division I level. The 6'0", 190-pound corner walked into South Bend as a four-star recruit and immediately showed why Fighting Irish fans would come to love him. Morrison's freshman campaign was nothing short of spectacular, snagging six interceptions including a momentum-shifting pick-six against Clemson that displayed his game-breaking ability. His nine career interceptions rank second among Irish defenders since 1996, establishing him as one of college football's premier ballhawks.Morrison's sophomore season solidified his status as an elite corner, earning him a Thorpe Award semifinalist nod while leading the team with 10 pass breakups. His trajectory pointed toward an even more dominant junior year before a hip injury in Week 7 against Stanford cut his 2024 season short. Prior to the injury, Morrison was living up to his preseason All-American billing, showing the same sticky coverage skills and playmaking ability that made him a freshman sensation.
The Notre Dame standout's rise from highly-touted recruit to defensive cornerstone mirrors his father Darryl's path to the NFL. While his 2024 campaign was abbreviated by injury, Morrison's body of work across three seasons in South Bend, including 26 starts, showcases a corner who's been battle-tested against elite competition.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Shows exceptional processing speed when reading route combinations - consistently jumps underneath routes before quarterbacks can hit their back foot
- Possesses elite short-area quickness that allows him to mirror receivers off the line - watching him match up against USC's receiving corps was a masterclass in technique and fluidity
- Maintains outstanding leverage in press coverage, using his quick feet and fluid hips to stay in phase through stems and breaks
- Demonstrates rare ball skills for the position - tracks the ball like a receiver and shows natural hands when attacking at the catch point
- Plays with controlled aggression in zone coverage, baiting quarterbacks while maintaining positioning to break on throws
- Brings surprising pop as a tackler despite his frame - shows no hesitation coming downhill against the run
- Displays advanced route recognition skills, particularly against double moves - rarely bites on initial fakes
- Versatility to play both outside and slot positions effectively - showed this consistently against spread offenses
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Frame is slightly below ideal for an NFL boundary corner - struggled at times against more physical receivers who could box him out
- Can get overeager jumping routes in zone coverage, occasionally leaving his area vulnerable to deeper patterns behind him
- Shows some difficulty disengaging from larger blocking receivers when forced to set the edge against the run game
- Recent hip surgery raises some durability concerns, though his previous injury history was clean
- Occasional overreliance on athleticism leads to recovery situations that might be more challenging against NFL-caliber receivers
Scouting Report: Summary
Looking ahead to his NFL projection, Morrison profiles as a scheme-versatile corner who can step in and contribute immediately in any coverage system. His combination of quick-twitch athleticism and advanced pattern recognition makes him particularly valuable in man-heavy schemes where he can put his mirroring skills to use. The hip injury shouldn't significantly impact his draft stock given his clean previous medical history and the modern advances in recovery protocols.Morrison shows striking similarities to Marlon Humphrey in his early Baltimore years - a corner who can play bigger than his size through technique and competitive toughness. Teams running heavy man coverage schemes will particularly value his ability to match up in the slot or outside. While the durability question needs to be answered during the pre-draft process, Morrison's film shows a corner with genuine CB1 potential who could hear his name called in the first 40 picks.
In an NFL that increasingly demands corners who can play multiple techniques and match up across the formation, Morrison projects as an immediate contributor with Pro Bowl upside. His combination of ball skills, route recognition, and short-area quickness should translate well to the next level, particularly for teams employing multiple coverage schemes that will allow him to showcase his versatility.
Written By:
K.C. Martinez (IND-FBS)
Benjamin Morrison percentiles vs other Cornerbacks (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Benjamin Morrison (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
39.9
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
7.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.