Arizona OL, potential 1st-round pick Jordan Morgan shows off speed at NFL Draft Combine

The first Arizona Wildcats player expected to hear his name at the draft is left tackle Jordan Morgan, who had the opportunity to show off his speed and fluidity at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Sunday.

Coming in at 6-foot-5 and 311 pounds, Morgan ran an unofficial 5.05-second 40-yard dash and a 1.7-second 10-yard split.

The 2023 All-Pac-12 first teamer also showed off a 28-inch vertical jump and 9-foot, 2-inch broad jump.

Morgan told reporters his speed, fluidity, flexibility and strength are pluses he’ll bring to the NFL. The Marana native is a potential first-round pick, coming in at No. 25 overall on ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft. The last Wildcats player to land in the first round of the NFL Draft was defensive back Antoine Cason in 2008.

Jordan Morgan wraps up the 40 with an unofficial time of 5.05 and a 1.70 10 yard split 🔥

📺 #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/M6DCPCS4kP

— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) March 3, 2024

“The things that separate me are my athletic abilities,” Morgan said. “The way I move, the way I bend, my footwork I think will separate me.”

Teams have gauged Morgan’s willingness to move around the offensive line after anchoring Arizona’s blindside in 33 games over the past three seasons.

“You’ve got to be able to bounce around and move where you can,” he said.

Morgan has done some training on the right side but believes in his ability to play left tackle at the next level. That said, he explained he would do anything to help his team, including moving inside or to the right if needed.

The tackle was asked about his time at Arizona amid questions about his future. A favorite memory he expressed was defeating Arizona State for the Territorial Cup last fall, his final game since he opted out of the Alamo Bowl.

“We really put a beating on them,” Morgan said of the 59-23 victory.

Morgan’s greatest challenge at Arizona, he said, was returning from a torn ACL suffered in 2022 to start every regular season game the following year.

“I was expected to leave that year into the draft, but having to come back for another year was pretty hard for me to believe,” Morgan said. “At the beginning it was hard but you have to stay positive through it all and be able to bounce back and I did.”

He had a glowing review for two-year right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea and addressed the departure of now-Washington head coach Jedd Fisch.

Fisch was his head coach for three seasons, someone he credited with helping him get to where he is.

“It’s a business, it happens. … I don’t hate him for it. He’s still a really good coach and I still stay in contact with him,” Morgan said.

The Arizona Cardinals are a significant player with two first-round picks in the draft this year (Nos. 4 and 27). Head coach Jonathan Gannon has already been open about the possibility of adding offensive line help as the Cardinals did in the first round last year with Paris Johnson Jr.

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