Why Undrafted?: Stanley Morgan, WR, Nebraska
By Charlie Campbell, @draftcampbell
Five years ago, we started a series of articles on why certain prospects went undrafted. In that series, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. We got a lot of positive reader feedback about the series, so we decided to expand in the genre to investigate why some prospects slid in the draft. Three years ago, we started the Why the Slide? series, and this year it is back. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
Multiple readers have sent in requests for a Why Undrafted? on Stanley Morgan. In 2018, Morgan was a productive receiver for the Cornhuskers, hauling in 70 receptions for 1,004 yards and seven touchdowns. That came after a 10-touchdown junior season with 986 yards on 61 receptions. Morgan (6-0, 202) has quality size, and his 40 time of 4.53 seconds was good enough, so between the production and skill set, some were surprised when he went undrafted.
Team sources say there were a few reasons why Morgan went undrafted. One team said they graded Morgan as a free agent and did not have him worthy of a draft pick. Another team said they had him as a free agent because of character concerns, and a third team said they had Morgan graded in the sixth round and felt he simply slipped through the draft.
After going undrafted, Morgan signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, which was a decent landing spot. The Bengals have their No.1 receiver in A.J. Green and a very good No.2 in Tyler Boyd, who is coming off a 1,000-yard season. Slot receiver Alex Erickson looks like a lock to make the roster as well. John Ross has been a disappointment since being a high first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and there have been rumors that he could be traded. If he isn’t traded, Ross will probably be on the roster with the Bengals hoping to salvage the speedster. That leaves two or three roster spots for Morgan to compete for with other young receivers. Morgan will have to outplay the likes of Cody Core, Auden Tate, Josh Malone, Ventell Bryant and Kermit Whitfield. That is definitely possible, but Morgan is still a long shot to make the roster, and starting out on the practice squad could be his most likely method for breaking into the NFL.
2024 NFL Mock Draft - April 23
NFL Power Rankings - Feb. 22
Fantasy Football Rankings - Feb. 19
NFL Picks - Feb. 12
