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Michigan now has its second receiver in the 2022 class, one whose skill set is almost completely different from fellow four-star Tay’Shawn Trent.
No. 79 player in the country Tyler Morris is listed at 6-foot, 175 pounds on his 247Sports profile. Watching a game from his junior season that is currently ongoing, Morris operates mostly out of the slot but has the versatility to play on the outside if needed.
As a sophomore, Morris racked up big numbers with current Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy throwing him the ball. He caught 68 passes for 1,237 yards and 17 touchdowns in 14 games as Nazareth Academy reached the state championship game.
Unfortunately, Morris recently tore his ACL during a game, which will probably eliminate his senior season. But he was able to play in a few before he got hurt. I tried to watch Naz’s win against St. Laurence, where Morris had five catches for 106 yards and a touchdown, but the camera work did me no favors.
Instead, I derived this scouting report from Naz’s shutout loss against Marist. By my count, Morris was held to two catches for 19 yards and three carries for three yards. He did have an end-around run for a touchdown get called back for holding.
Morris is a smooth, fluid athlete with good burst in and out of his breaks to create separation. On his first catch, Morris is in the slot, covered by a safety with inside leverage.
Morris eats up the cushion quickly off the line, then has a crisp break to beat the safety inside. There’s a small window between the safety and the dropping linebacker, and the quarterback makes a low throw that Morris is able to dig out for a first down.
Even when Morris didn’t make a catch, he showed his technical route running skills on a couple different routes.
Here, Morris is in the slot of the opposite side of the field. With the outside linebacker responsible for covering him, Morris easily wins with a feign inside and break outside that should be easy yards if the quarterback sees him.
In general, if your top 100 receiver is matched up against an outside linebacker, I’d look for that route first.
Morris’ second catch came on a screen designed for him. He’s lined up on the outside this time and shows good strength to beat the press from the cornerback and get back to the ball.
After the catch, Morris shows his agility and speed by making a nice cut and picking up a chunk of yards.
The biggest negative before Morris’ injury is his build. At only 175 pounds and still growing, Morris is pretty slight right now and will have to get up to around 190 to stand up to college competition.
Now though, the focus centers on Morris’ ability to recover from his torn ACL. The injury is probably what caused Morris to move up his commitment timeline, even though ACL recovery is becoming much quicker with athletes in recent years.
Before the ACL tear, Morris ran an 11.5 in the 100-meter dash and listed a 4.6 40-yard dash. He also won the high jump at the 2018 AAU Junior Olympics. Regaining that athleticism during his recovery will be critical in him reaching his potential.
If all goes well, Morris looks to be the type of receiver that frustrates opposing fans because he is constantly open underneath. With his advanced route-running skills and good burst in and out of breaks, he’ll be able to create plenty of separation. If he grows another inch or two, Morris could also have the flexibility to move outside when needed.