why would someone this good be playing at tech? something's fishy here.
ATLANTA --- Derrick Morgan soon could be chasing NFL quarterbacks.
Morgan, Georgia Tech's junior defensive end who ranks among the nation's sack leaders, said he will "definitely" examine his NFL Draft status after the season.
Some early NFL mock drafts list the junior as a first-round pick in 2010. He is projected as the No. 13 pick by MyNFLdraft.com, and he's No. 27 on Bleacher Report's mock draft.
Morgan this week made ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s "Big Board" of players who could be picked high in the draft. Kiper noted Morgan "has been impossible to block all season."
Morgan ranks fifth in the nation with 111/2 sacks and is a big reason No. 7 Georgia Tech can wrap up the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division title with a win at Duke on Saturday.
Morgan said he won't pretend he doesn't think about where he might stand in the draft.
"People say they don't think about it, but I think about it every once in a while," he said this week. "It's not heavy on my mind. It gets brought up every now and then and I have to think about it. My main focus is on winning the ACC Championship.
"I don't know. It's a possibility at the end of the season. It will all be determined by how I finish up."
Morgan gained momentum for a strong finish with three sacks in last week's 30-27 overtime win over Wake Forest.
"He's a great player," said Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson. "He's got great physical tools. He's as quick and explosive coming off the ball as anybody I've ever been around. He's got a lot of God-given ability and he works at it."
Morgan (6-4, 272) has 181/2 career sacks. He said his third sack against Wake Forest "probably was one of the biggest plays as far as what it meant to the whole scheme of the game."
Morgan, from Coatesville, Pa., also had three sacks in a 30-27 win over Clemson this season. His pass rush has been crucial for the Yellow Jackets. No other Georgia Tech player has more than 11/2 sacks for the season.
"Oh man, Derrick is amazing," Georgia Tech linebacker Sedric Griffin said. "He has a motor that does not stop. He's going to push you to your maximum all the time. He's a great competitor."
Morgan says that's how he's always played.
"I don't want to let nobody down with my lack of effort," he said. "Everybody always said I've got a motor."
Morgan rarely faced more than one blocker last season, when Michael Johnson was perceived to be the bigger threat. This year, Morgan usually faces two or three blockers but still leads the ACC with 16 tackles for loss.
Morgan could challenge Pat Swilling's school-record 15 sacks in 1985.
Johnson said Morgan "was one of our best players last year" even though few noticed. Now everyone, including NFL scouts, can't help but notice Morgan.
"He's always going to be one of the best players of whatever team he's on," Johnson said.
Comments
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
