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Benjamin Morrison

Draft Rumors: Hunter, Sanders, Banks

April 20th, 2025 at 8:36pm CST by Ely Allen

With the 2025 NFL Draft just four days out, the Browns are increasingly expected to select Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter with the second overall pick in the first round. Several sources have told FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano that Cleveland will take the multi-positional talent at No. 2 overall, clearing the path for Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter to land with the Giants.

The Hunter-to-Cleveland steam has been building over the last few weeks, especially following comments from general manager Andrew Berry indicating the team’s willingness to play Hunter on both sides of the ball. The reigning Heisman has repeatedly expressed his desire to continue his two-way exploits in the NFL, even saying he would consider sitting out if he’s only permitted to play one position.

It seems, though, that Hunter can avoid that potential outcome in Cleveland, and the closer we get to Thursday, the more likely that outcome is to occur.

Here are a few other draft rumors from around the NFL:

  • Hunter’s teammate, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, has been one of the draft’s most polarizing prospects in the last few months. According to ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, some scouts believe Sanders’ head coach at Colorado and father, NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, is contributing to the wide range of evaluations. Typically, when scouts or position coaches visit a university to either watch tape or conduct a workout with a prospect, they will visit with a staff member, usually a head strength coach or NFL liaison to elicit some frank and honest information about the prospect. Some believe that Deion being the father of Shedeur and the superior of these employees has created a conflict wherein NFL personnel have had difficulty getting an understanding of who Shedeur is because of Deion’s influence.
  • After missing half of his junior year after undergoing hip surgery, Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison did not participate in drills and workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine or the Fighting Irish’s pro day. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, though, Morrison will conduct “a positional workout for teams on Monday” at his former high school in Arizona. Morrison currently grades as a potential Day 2 pick, and his father, former Washington safety Darryl Morrison, is currently the team chaplain for the Cardinals.
  • Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. has been a popular prospect leading up to the first-round of the draft. We noted a visit for Banks two weeks ago with the Falcons, but Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 updated his visit list to include the Panthers, Patriots, Cardinals, Cowboys, Raiders, and 49ers. He adds that the Texans spoke with Banks at his pro day in Austin, as well.

Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.

Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison Declares For Draft

January 23rd, 2025 at 3:47pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison is declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft, per ESPN’s Jordan Reid.

Morrison did not play in the College Football Playoff due to a season-ending hip injury suffered in October, but he dominated opposing receivers up to that point. He allowed just 12 receptions and a 58.4 passer rating on his 27 targets in 2024, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), solidifying his status as a first-round pick.

NFL teams will be excited about Morrison’s growth potential. He checks almost every box for a cornerback prospect, with a solid frame (6-foot, 190 pounds), smooth athleticism, excellent coverage skills, and willingness to defend the run. He burst onto the college football scene with a team-high six interceptions as an 18-year-old true freshman in 2022, earning All-American honors in the process.

Morrison followed that up with a superb sophomore year with three more interceptions and a semifinalist nod for the Jim Thorpe award, given to the top defensive back in Division I-FBS. He was on his way to more awards consideration in 2024 before his injury, but still put together a solid six-game performance before he went down.

Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Michigan’s Will Johnson are widely thought to be the top two cornerbacks in the 2025 class, with Morrison typically ranked third. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. ranks Morrison 13th overall in this year’s class. Hunter, obviously, offers elite upside as a two-way player, while Johnson enjoyed more team success and individual accolades at the college level compared to Morrison. All three are expected to be first-round picks in April’s draft.

 

Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison Out For Season

October 18th, 2024 at 9:08pm CST by Ely Allen

Another top cornerback prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft has found their season ending early. According to a tweet from Pro Football Focus’ college account, junior Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison will miss the remainder of the college season with a hip injury.

Morrison is an Arizona native out of Brophy College Prep in Phoenix. As a four-star recruit, Morrison was a top-four prospect in the state. He committed to the Fighting Irish over offers from in-state Arizona, then-Pac-12 powers Washington and Oregon, and Alabama, agreeing to play for then-head coach Brian Kelly but eventually sticking with defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman after Kelly left for LSU and Freeman took over head coaching duties.

Morrison was an immediate factor on defense as a true freshman. Having high school experience as a receiver and kick returner, Morrison put his hands to use, nabbing six interceptions, tied for third in the country that year. Five of those picks came in two games with three coming against Boston College and two against Clemson, including a 97-yard pick six of D.J. Uiagalelei. Those efforts earned him True Freshman All-American honors from several publications.

Morrison didn’t slow down as a sophomore. While he only recorded half of his prior year interception total, Morrison tied for 25th in the nation with 13 passes defensed. While he hadn’t recorded an interception in six games this year, Morrison was on a similar track for passes defensed with four so far this season.

Morrison’s disruptive knack for making plays on the ball certainly caught the eyes of NFL scouting personnel. After only two years in college, Morrison appeared on preseason prospect rankings all over, with many expecting him to leave after three years of school. Much like East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel, Morrison appeared high in the recent prospect rankings of ESPN’s Mel Kiper.

Revel and Morrison appeared back-to-back in Kiper’s ranking as the 20th and 21st best overall draft prospects, and the third and fourth cornerback prospects, respectively, behind only Michigan’s Will Johnson and Colorado dual-position prospect Travis Hunter. In the rankings of Kiper’s ESPN peers Jordan Reid, Matt Miller, and Field Yates, Morrison ranked just ahead of Revel, with only Kiper ranking Revel higher.

Morrison is the son of Darryl Morrison, a sixth-round safety out of Arizona who was selected by Washington in 1993. The elder Morrison started 28 games over the course of his rookie contract, recording an interception, seven fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown), and 165 total tackles, but he failed to earn a second contract in the NFL.

Benjamin will hope to follow in his father’s footsteps as an NFL draft pick, and he’ll hope to outdo his father as a Day 1 selection. His odds to do that have likely dropped with the severity of this hip injury, but with draft pundits still so high on him following the announcement that he’ll miss the remainder of the season, Morrison only needs one NFL team to agree he’s worth a first-round pick next April.