Report: Patriots Had Pre-Draft Meeting With FIU QB James Morgan
The writing was on the wall that the New England Patriots are going to draft a quarterback later this month when they released veteran QB Cody Kessler last week. With Tom Brady gone, Bill Belichick is looking to create a starting quarterback competition in New England for the first time in 20 years, so adding a young, talented thrower of the football into the mix with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer would do just that.
While there has been much discussion as to when exactly the Patriots would decide to draft a QB - and which QB they would draft - the best way to gauge who they may be interested in is keeping an eye on who they hold pre-draft meetings with.
So far, there is only one quarterback (that we know of) that has had a meeting with New England since the NFL Combine in February: Florida International's James Morgan.
ESPN's Mike Reiss shared this info during his weekly Sunday morning ESPN Column:
"With only 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham and veteran Brian Hoyer on the depth chart, the Patriots almost certainly will add a rookie quarterback. The question is when.
"They will cast a wide net, as usual. One example: League sources say Florida International quarterback James Morgan had a videoconference meeting with the team. Morgan, who grew up in Green Bay and naturally modeled his game after Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre, is an intriguing prospect who scouts say performed well in the East-West Shrine Game."
Even though Morgan isn't a high-level prospect that will excite fans who want to see a new face in the Patriots' QB room, at this point the FIU product is the only quarterback we've seen New England express some level of interest in since the Combine. That makes him worth discussing.
2018 was the first year in which Morgan became the starting QB for FIU and had himself a very good season. He completed 64.9% of his passes for 2,678 yards, 25 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and had a PFF grade of 72.2. Unfortunately, Morgan regressed in his senior year, completing 58% of his passes for 2,551 yards, 14 touchdowns, five interceptions, and having a PFF grade of 66.4. Part of his regression last season had to do with the fact that 14.5% of his catchable passes were dropped by his receivers, which is a very high number.
Morgan flashes his big-arm talent on tape, but his wild inconsistencies in terms of accuracy and decision-making are what make him a Day 3 prospect.
If Bill Belichick wants to take a flyer on a QB in this year's draft without sacrificing a lot of draft capital, Morgan could be the man for the job.
