Rams Draft: What Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison Brings to Table

One of the appeasing aspects of the Los Angeles Rams is their value in drafting and developing talent.

Since Super Bowl LVI, the franchise has had to resort to this style of roster construction after going all in during the 2021 campaign when they acquired a bevy of talent through big trades and high-end free agency signings.

This newish approach for the Rams has now re-opened their Super Bowl contention window, though it may be small with the future of Matthew Stafford past this season is uncertain. In this year's draft, the team will likely continue to add more potential immediate contributors and one possible early-round projection could be intriguing.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison, when healthy, is an easy Top 50 selection. He is a former four-star recruit whose father played in the NFL in the mid-1990s.

As a true freshman, he racked up six interceptions for Notre Dame and was a freshman All-American in that category, quickly becoming one of the best cornerbacks in college football over the last two and a half seasons.

With that being said, let's get into the draft profile of Morrison and what he could bring to the table in the NFL.

Strengths

Morrison offers prototypical size and a well-put-together frame at 6-foot-1, 193 pounds and uses every bit of it in his technique, in man coverage, and ball skills.

If you're someone who likes corners with sound technique, Morrison is your guy. He offers good zone spacing and instincts that allow him to shutdown a portion of the field at times. He plays with proper leverage and sound footwork in man coverage to remain sticky to his receiver/responsibility.

Morrison has some of the best ball skills in this draft class. His length and discipline when the ball is in the air and at the catch point is impressive. This allows him to be patient and make plays on the ball when he's facing away from the pass itself, and when he does get his hands around, he shows aggression at the catch point to either come away with an interception or a defended pass into the dirt.

As a run defender, Morrison is effective here overall. He illustrates effort and flashes of physical block deconstruction to be a force defender on the perimeter or challenge ball carriers at the point of attack. He is also a solid tackler who has shown glimpses of pop and technique at the line of scrimmage.

Notre Dame CB, Benjamin Morrison would've been a top 15 pick if not for a hip injury in 2024.

He had 9 INTs and 18 PBUs in only 31 career college games.

I usually try avoid players coming off injury, but I'd run to the podium if he was there at 23. pic.twitter.com/LS9q77l13g
— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) February 13, 2025

Weaknesses

Morrison doesn't project as an elite athlete at the next level and it's evident on film. Cornerbacks who play with high-end technique do so to compensate for the lack of high-tier athletic ability.

This is a high-hipped defender who struggles naturally to fluidly flip his hips and be an effective transition defender in coverage. His lack of high-end speed has also costed him in coverage as a trail defender or in man when occasionally beat at the line, as Morrison is unable to sometimes showcase quality recovery speed.

Morrison also does not possess high-end play strength, which has led to some issues in press and, sometimes, run support when attempting to deconstruct and attack ball carrier downhill. Morrison suffered a hip injury that ended his 2024 season and almost effectively compromised his pre-draft process.

How Morrison would fit with the Los Angeles Rams

Morrison is the type of cornerback that, when healthy, would be the impact young defender the Rams could utilize in their defense. He's quite disciplined in zone shells and man coverage responsibilities while possessing great ball skills, making him an intriguing option at No. 26 overall.

The underclassman best projects as starting perimeter corner at the next level. The combination of skills, technique, discipline, and football intelligence allows him to be a scheme-diverse fit for any NFL defense.

Morrison will have questions to answer about his health with a major hip surgrey during the 2024 season. If a team can see past the injury, he could find himself as one of the first cornerbacks off the board not named Will Johnson and Jahdae Barron.

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