BREAKING: Buccaneers select star Notre Dame cornerback with second pick

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are addressing the secondary with Notre Dame Fighting Irish corner Benjamin Morrison.

Benjamin Morrison celebrates a turnover. | Matt Cashore / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers caught some heat for not going defense on Day 1, but they've finally made the pick on Day 2.

The Buccaneers selected Notre Dame defensive back Benjamin Morrison with the No. 53 pick in the NFL Draft, addressing a need at cornerback on the second day of the NFL Draft. Morrison was a standout corner at Notre Dame, but missed most of his last year in college football to a hip injury.

Todd Bowles said he wanted ballhawks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Morrison fits the bill. He had nine interceptions in 31 games, which will do the trick for Tampa Bay to generate turnovers, and he's had 27 pass deflections in his time at Notre Dame. Last season, before his hip injury that required surgery, he had 20 tackles and four pass breakups.

Here's what BucsGameday writer JC Allen had to say about Morrison in his pre-draft scouting report:

"Morrison has a natural feel for coverage, showing excellent leverage and active hands in press and good awareness and trigger in zone. He is patient in off coverage and has excellent route recognition skills and processing speed to read route combinations. He's a ball hawk that tracks the ball incredibly well and is competitive through the catch point. However, he displays tight hips, needs refinement in his tackling technique, can get grabby when he gets beat and he'll struggle to get off blocks with just average play strength. Medical concerns are real with two hip surgeries and a shoulder surgery in the past four years."

Morrison's health will be a huge question going into the season, given multiple surgeries. But if he is healthy, he could challenge either Zyon McCollum or Jamel Dean for a starting spot on the roster right away.

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READ MORE: How did Buccaneers' NFC South rivals fair in first round of the NFL Draft?

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