Kutztown’s Jordan Morgan can bolster the offensive line for Bears

The Chicago Bears just added another road grader to their offensive line by selecting Jordan Morgan in the fifth round with the No. 147th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

This isn’t a sexy pick, but the 22-year-old was a stalwart at left tackle for Kutztown University. Unlike a lot of offensive linemen in the draft, Morgan carved out a role on the Golden Bears as a walk-on.

Chicago is getting an offensive lineman who loves to get dirty in the run game. He only missed one game out of his collegiate career, so his durability isn’t a question.

Morgan thrives in the run game. The 6’3, 309-pounder from Philadelphia has the size and power to anchor an offensive line. He loves delivering bone-crushing blocks and playing up to the whistle. Because of Morgan’s ability to create creases in the run game, Kutztown averaged 226.5 yards on the ground in 2016.

During his collegiate career, he delivered many blocks that sprung ball carriers loose for scores.

For example, midway through the second quarter against West Chester last season, head coach Jim Clements dialed up a screen pass to receiver Kellen Williams. As soon as Williams caught the quick pass, Morgan, the lead blocker, stopped a streaking defender in his tracks and immediately drove him to the turf. That block led to a William’s 39-yard touchdown reception.

The 22-year-old lineman should be able to come in and immediately contribute in the run game.

Kutztown University is a Division II school in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, that competes in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

He played football for a half-season at Germantown High School in 2011. While he didn’t have the experience like others on his team, Morgan impressed scouts from Kutztown who originally came to recruit a few of his teammates. So, the Golden Bears decided to bring Morgan to the program as a walk-on.

Morgan said he was “ecstatic” when he heard that the Golden Bears wanted him to play on in their program. Before he walked on Kutztown’s campus, he created two goals for himself: “Be the hardest-working person, and make the biggest impression that I could every time,” he told SB Nation.

During his redshirt year in 2012, his work ethic was put to the test. The Kutztown product weighed just 235 pounds, too small for an offensive lineman. So, he gained over 70 pounds in a year. Instead of using the school’s strength and conditioning program — which he said lacked resources — to bulk up, he networked with teammates to find trainers.

Morgan also took nutrition classes at the school to learn about the products he should consume to gain proper weight. After his redshirt year, he was finally ready to show Kutztown why taking a chance on him was a smart decision.

While Morgan was a force on Kutztown’s offensive line during his collegiate career, he didn’t compete against top-notch competition. There are some talented players in Division II, but a lot of them are not NFL-caliber players. Morgan must adjust to the speed, strength, and size of pro defensive linemen. But he’ll have to adjust to a new position, too.

A lot of teams told him he’ll have to convert to guard. The Kutztown product has the length to play tackle, but he doesn’t meet teams’ height requirement. While Morgan has the raw talent and athletic ability to be a top-notch lineman, it will take him some time to get acclimated to guard.

When Morgan participated in practices at the Senior Bowl as a guard, Kutztown’s head coach, Jim Clements, mentioned that he struggled earlier on with pass sets.

“At first, you saw him early in the Senior Bowl practice where he might have been taking too deep of a pass set at left guard. At left tackle, you have to take a little deeper pass set. At guard, you don’t. And I think it took him a couple reps to figure that out. By the end of that week in practice, he was doing extremely well,” Clements explained.

Lastly, Morgan isn’t horrible in pass protection, but he believes there’s still a lot of room for improvement in that area.

“In pass protection, there are definitely some technical things I could clean up. I know I can get away with some things physically because I have quick feet and long arms. My goal is to be a technician, not a physical freak.”