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Derrick Morgan's draft diary: 'I really don't care about mock drafts'
Derrick Morgan, for Sporting News
http://www.sportingnews.com/college...ft-diary-i-really-dont-care-about-mock-drafts
http://www.sportingnews.com/images/182949/article.jpeg
Derrick Morgan used his pro day to improve on his showing at the Combine.My pro day at Georgia Tech went great. I improved on everything I did from my numbers at the Combine a few weeks ago in Indianapolis.
I leaped 36 inches in the vertical jump (I did 34 at the Combine), went 9 feet 9 1/2 inches in the broad jump (up from 9-4) and ran in the low 4.3s in the short shuttle (it was 4.43 in Indy). I did 21 reps in the 225-pound bench press, which I didn't do at the Combine.
In addition to those things, I went through several position drills, one directed by Dan Quinn, the defensive line coach of the Seahawks, and another by Joe Cullen, the Jaguars' D-line coach. One of the Bengals coaches had me do some linebacker stuff.
I couldn't tell you how many NFL teams had representatives there. It was a lot, I know that. Although I wasn't necessarily counting head coaches, I remember seeing Mike Smith of the Falcons, Lovie Smith of the Bears and Ken Whisenhunt of the Cardinals.
For now, I'm going to stay in Atlanta—I'm not going back to Phoenix, where I trained for six weeks—and live at my mom's house. I'll continue working out at the Georgia Tech facility. What's neat about that is I get to see some friends and former teammates.
I'm not sure how many teams will invite me for visits before the draft. I have already done things with the Seahawks and Dolphins, and I have other meetings or workouts scheduled with the Bucs and Browns. My agent told me to stay tuned, as a few others are in the works.
I've been training since our season ended in early January, and I have to admit that it does get to be a grind at times. But it's a great opportunity, so I'm taking it all in with a positive attitude. There aren't a lot of people who get a chance to be drafted into the NFL. It's a blessing to even have a chance to go through this.
A lot of my friends have been monitoring all the mock drafts. They're always calling me and telling me where I'm predicted to go, but I don't like discussing all that. I really don't care about mock drafts. I know people are paid to do them, so they've got to put something out there. But nine out of 10 times, they're usually wrong.
Related Links
Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy's diary
.I think the tape of my performance during the season speaks for itself. As far as everything else, I think I've done a good job of promoting myself as a player teams would want to have.
I'm not going to predict where I'll be picked. I just feel like I'm the most complete defensive end overall in the draft. Whichever team has defensive end as its biggest need should be the one that drafts me.
— As told to Dennis Dillon DRAFT DIARY DRAFT DIARY
About the author
Derrick Morgan, a defensive end from Georgia Tech, was voted the ACC defensive player of the year after making 18.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks in 2009. He finished his college career with 19.5 sacks. He'll chronicle his journey to the NFL draft for Sporting News Today.
This story first appeared in the March 22 edition of Sporting News Today. If you are not receiving Sporting News Today, the only daily digital sports newspaper, sign up today for free.
