The 2025 NFL Draft will be stacked at the cornerback position, and the scouting report of Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison is near the top of the list. What does Morrison — one of the most productive collegiate CBs over the past two years — bring to the table?
Benjamin Morrison’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’0″
- Weight: 186 pounds
- Position: Cornerback
- School: Notre Dame
- Current Year: Junior
Morrison may be one of the most accomplished true juniors on the college football stage. Entering the 2023 season, Morrison is a former Freshman All-American, a two-time first-team All-Independent performer, and one of the top early 2025 NFL Draft prospects — and he’s still just 20 years old.
The Fighting Irish knew Morrison was good when they signed him as a four-star recruit from Brophy Prep in Phoenix, Arizona. But Morrison — the son of 1993 sixth-round pick Daryl Morrison — exceeded even their expectations with his early dominance.
As a true freshman in 2022, Morrison led his team with six interceptions, one of which went for a touchdown. As a true sophomore, he added three more INTs to his career total, and this time led the team in pass deflections with 10.
One could argue that Morrison has been the best player on Notre Dame’s defense since he stepped onto the field in 2022 — and now, he’s one of the most exciting prospects on the 2025 NFL Draft circuit.
Morrison’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Has elite explosive capacity on breaks, erasing gaps with fleet-footed acceleration.
- Extremely malleable athlete with rapid foot quickness and swarming recovery speed.
- Snappy fluidity allows him to effortlessly adjust his track and channel acceleration.
- Has a low center of gravity, paired with elite swivel freedom and corrective twitch.
- Seemingly ambidextrous feet allow him to plant and drive from any position.
- Patient, disciplined defender who can use inch resets, catch technique, and trail.
- Boasts lightning-quick response to stimulus when planting overtop breaks from off-man.
- Has willing physicality at the catch point and will attack his receiver’s resolve at a minimum.
- Has exhaustive ball skills and will wrap around the WR’s cage to disrupt passes.
- Excels at playing positioning while getting his eyes around to track and locate the ball.
- Sixth-sense anticipation skills allow him to peel off of primary receivers and undercut throws.
- Can manage overlapping routes in zone and use the quarterback’s eyes to key in on breaks.
- Competitive block combatant on the boundary, who can engage runners with force.
- Active pre-snap communicator who can instantly recognize and trigger on screens.
- High-character player who’s active in his community and will be a 21-year-old rookie.
Weaknesses
- Is around average size overall, with middling weight and decent proportional length.
- Non-elite length does limit his disruptive reach on occasion, narrowing margin for error.
- Can be outmuscled at the catch point by larger and stronger wide receivers.
- Might not have elite long speed; he sometimes fails to catch breakaway threats.
- With his lacking mass and play strength, can be displaced at the line in press coverage.
- Occasionally resorts to two-handed jams too early in reps, which can delay transitions.
- Can be baited into widening his stance too far in press coverage, necessitating recovery.
- Occasionally resorts to grabbing and tugging at the catch, increasing penalty risk.
- Sometimes struggles to deconstruct blocks and can be displaced upfield at his size.
- Isn’t always able to finish solo tackles in space or halt runner momentum at contact.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, Morrison grades out as an early-to-mid first-round prospect and could enter the blue-chip range with another year of improvement. He’s firmly in the running for CB1 in 2025 and could be especially coveted by man-heavy teams.
The public service announcement for opposing quarterbacks is this: Test Morrison at your own risk.
You often hear the term “sticky” used in the presence of true lockdown cornerbacks, and that’s what Morrison has the traits to become. He has an elite combination of initial explosiveness and hip fluidity, and his hyperactive agility and twitch make him nearly impossible to shake.
Morrison’s recovery framework is out of this world, and it’s made more potent by his technical efficiency and variability, as well as his ability to plant and drive from either foot. Once he’s in position, Morrison is a born disruptor with exhaustive ball skills, willing physicality, and second-nature tracking ability.
Overall, Morrison is an elite physical talent with sharp processing ability and playmaking chops who, in spite of his middling size, has impressive feistiness, both in coverage and support. He’ll have to continue adding mass to his frame, but he’s a scheme-versatile CB prospect with All-Pro upside and lockdown potential in man.