badrouter Posted December 13, 2023 Report Share Posted December 13, 2023 I was a fan of UCLA when Jim Mora was coach (they fucked up by firing him IMO). And Myles Jack was probably the most awesome player they had in those years. He was primarily a linebacker of course. But, they'd bring him in at RB in crucial situations and each time he came in, the sense that he was going to make a play was almost magical. I got the same feeling watching Malik Morris for Lakeland this year. He's 6'0"/6'1" 240 lbs, claims a camp-verified 4.5 forty and claims a 10'8"standing broad jump. These numbers were recorded this past off-season. At the time of the Norland and St. Joseph's Prep games, he was fifteen (15) years old. His role on offense expanded in the playoffs, and he jumped off the screen in both the seminfinal and the title game vs. Venice. Lakeland almost always ran a simple HB toss with him and he was never really stopped...even when teams had figured out what was coming. But, he seems to be projected as a LB. I wonder whether he's better off as RB, LB or both. Morris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badrouter Posted December 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2023 According to draftkings, the average broad jump for linebackers at the NFL combine is 9'8", or a foot less than 15 year-old Morris. The average 40-time is 4.71, and the average weight is not more than 240 lbs. Players inflate their numbers all the time, but I'm not sure he is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nptb17 Posted December 13, 2023 Report Share Posted December 13, 2023 15 hours ago, badrouter said: I was a fan of UCLA when Jim Mora was coach (they fucked up by firing him IMO). And Myles Jack was probably the most awesome player they had in those years. He was primarily a linebacker of course. But, they'd bring him in at RB in crucial situations and each time he came in, the sense that he was going to make a play was almost magical. I got the same feeling watching Malik Morris for Lakeland this year. He's 6'0"/6'1" 240 lbs, claims a camp-verified 4.5 forty and claims a 10'8"standing broad jump. These numbers were recorded this past off-season. At the time of the Norland and St. Joseph's Prep games, he was fifteen (15) years old. His role on offense expanded in the playoffs, and he jumped off the screen in both the seminfinal and the title game vs. Venice. Lakeland almost always ran a simple HB toss with him and he was never really stopped...even when teams had figured out what was coming. But, he seems to be projected as a LB. I wonder whether he's better off as RB, LB or both. Morris I can't trust your eye when evaluating players for the next level. I'm still waiting on the one guy to make a play on Saturday's to show he was better than Chris Rainey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badrouter Posted December 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2023 7 hours ago, nptb17 said: I can't trust your eye when evaluating players for the next level. I'm still waiting on the one guy to make a play on Saturday's to show he was better than Chris Rainey. I haven't made any assertions as to how good Morris will be in college, or how he will compare to other players. I asked a question, and gave the measurables he's claiming. A 10'8" broad jump seems to be an odd thing to make up. The 4.5 forty he says is camp verified, and I've seen plays where that seems believable. His TD or first down conversion to carries ratio was pretty amazing this year. He's (I assume) just turned 16 years old. So, his ceiling looks very high, but there's no way to be certain about a kid that age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badrouter Posted April 18 Author Report Share Posted April 18 In the name of maintaining some objectivity, I have to acknowledge the recent poor track record of Lakeland prospects in college. Demarkcus Bowman was a bust. Lloyd Summerall, Fenley Graham and to a lesser extent Arian Smith and Keon Zipperer were as well. Cormani McClain just entered the transfer portal. That is quite simply an embarrassment for McClain. Why they've all flopped is a mystery, and it isn't necessarily the same explanation for all of them. Graham was too short for DB; Zipperer is not fast enough at his relatively small size. But, Bowman and McClain were not busts because they lacked the physical ability. There were other issues for them. I don't think there's any reason to believe the Lakeland program itself is to blame. If anything, their flopping suggests the program was so strong that it made average-ish players look like beasts. I say all of this because I wonder if these flops have contributed to a low ranking for Malik Morris. He's only 4* in one outlet at the moment, and 3* in the others. If anyone has looked at his film and measurables, is there any other reason why he's a 3/4* rather than a 5*? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badrouter Posted April 18 Author Report Share Posted April 18 @steeler01 thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoBigBlack Posted April 18 Report Share Posted April 18 34 minutes ago, badrouter said: In the name of maintaining some objectivity, I have to acknowledge the recent poor track record of Lakeland prospects in college. Demarkcus Bowman was a bust. Lloyd Summerall, Fenley Graham and to a lesser extent Arian Smith and Keon Zipperer were as well. Cormani McClain just entered the transfer portal. That is quite simply an embarrassment for McClain. Why they've all flopped is a mystery, and it isn't necessarily the same explanation for all of them. Graham was too short for DB; Zipperer is not fast enough at his relatively small size. But, Bowman and McClain were not busts because they lacked the physical ability. There were other issues for them. I don't think there's any reason to believe the Lakeland program itself is to blame. If anything, their flopping suggests the program was so strong that it made average-ish players look like beasts. I say all of this because I wonder if these flops have contributed to a low ranking for Malik Morris. He's only 4* in one outlet at the moment, and 3* in the others. If anyone has looked at his film and measurables, is there any other reason why he's a 3/4* rather than a 5*? At that age and size with those measurable, where would you project him to play in three years? And just based on a couple minutes of film I have serious doubts about that 4.5. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badrouter Posted April 18 Author Report Share Posted April 18 1 hour ago, GoBigBlack said: At that age and size with those measurable, where would you project him to play in three years? And just based on a couple minutes of film I have serious doubts about that 4.5. I think his 100m time would be pretty impressive. I have seen him explode at times that makes it conceivable he could be in the 4.5s with the 40. It does seem he's got a profile as a guy who will be rather huge and strong, but maybe at the expense of speed. And, if he stays 6'0"/6'1", he wouldn't project high as a DL. So, he should aim not to be as big as he could be and just stay in the 240 range. But, all of his coaches and the opposing coaches seem to think he's a 5* kid. He's class of 2026, so still has two years for it all to play out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steeler01 Posted April 26 Report Share Posted April 26 On 4/17/2024 at 5:32 PM, badrouter said: @steeler01 thoughts? Didn't watch him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badrouter Posted April 27 Author Report Share Posted April 27 22 hours ago, steeler01 said: Didn't watch him Welp, he'll be facing off against Miami Central and Miami Booker T. Washington among others in his junior season. Perhaps there'll be a TV game in there. Morris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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