Are the Bucs already scoping out Tom Brady’s successor?

Unless new Bucs quarterback Tom Brady gets crunched early in the season, it is difficult to see the Bucs drafting high enough in the 2021 draft to grab either Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence or Ohio State’s Justin Fields (unless you believe K.J. Costello is going to blow up playing for Mike Leach at Mississippi State).

With seemingly a deep pool of QBs in this draft (in less than two weeks!), Joe has argued this would be the perfect time to draft Brady’s successor. Yes, even in the first round. That would give the pick two years to learn under some of the best QB coaches in the game and to also watch how one of the best (Brady) goes about his business.

Hey, this method worked for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

So a plugged-in NFL draft guy who was once Joel Buchsbaum’s right-hand man at Pro Football Weekly has a hunch that while Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is cranking White Zombie’s “Thunder Kiss ’65” so loud it is rattling his neighbor’s windows, might Licht be also watching film of James Morgan while rocking out?

(Joe’s going to guess Licht’s wife has had her fill the past few weeks of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden and Rage Against the Machine ringing in her ears.)

Eric Edholm of Yahoo! Sports (one of the few draftniks liked by cranky former Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel) claims the Bucs have “legitimate interest” in Morgan, along with the Eagles, Patriots, Colts, Titans, Jets, Raiders, Cowboys, Saints, Bills, Dolphins, Giants, Chargers and Rams.

Joe already wrote about this Morgan.from Florida International University. But here is what Emory Hunt, the Czar of the Playbook, has about Morgan in his 2020 Football Gameplan Draft Guide (only $10!).

Strengths:

– Has the arm strength and velocity to shrink space; there isn’t a throw that he can’t make.

– Shows willingness to work touchdown-to-checkdown.

– Not afraid to scramble for cheap yards

– When in rhythm, can string together chunk plays in the passing game. Areas of Improvement:

– Footwork and mechanics can be all over the place.

– Has issues trying to reset his platform once moved off the spot, which affects his accuracy and placement.

– Can be a bit late on certain throws, and will still try to fit the ball in there, which leads to PBUs and INTs.

– Not overly quick enough to evade quick pressure from the defense.

Hunt is not high on him and has Morgan ranked No. 23 among quarterbacks. Ouch!

Dane Brugler of The Athletic is much kinder, listing Morgan as the No. 9 quarterback in the draft who may go in the fifth round.

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Florida International, Morgan was the starter in offensive coordinator Rich Skrosky’s shotgun spread scheme. He went from an air raid system at Bowling Green to more of a pro style approach under head coach Butch Davis at FIU, helping the program to back-to-back bowl-eligible seasons and a regular season win over cross-town rival Miami (the school’s second win all-time vs. a Power 5 opponent). Morgan displays several intriguing traits for the next level with his size, arm talent and intangibles, which helped him become a team captain shortly after he arrived at FIU. While he can rip ropes to every level of the field, he struggles to walk the fine line of forcing throws and trying to make a play downfield. Overall, Morgan’s ball placement and decision-making lack consistency, but he is an intelligent, tough-minded thrower with an NFL-quality arm, projecting as a late-round developmental option.

Joe believes the Bucs, whether they select Morgan or not, will get good intel on him. Why? Well, Morgan’s coach at FIU was Butch Davis, the former Bucs consultant. Davis, before coming to the Bucs, had a stint as Cleveland’s head coach and under him the Browns made the playoffs in 2002.

That was the last time the Browns made the playoffs. And who was Davis’ offensive coordinator with the Browns? Bruce Arians.



