Bill Belichick on Jordan Morgan: ‘There was no way he was getting out of the first round’

The Green Bay Packers selected offensive lineman Jordan Morgan in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and Bill Belichick believes he will make a huge impact. While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, the former New England Patriots head coach shared his thoughts on Morgan, who was an All-Pac 12 player at Arizona.

“He’s a left tackle all the way,” Belichick said. He tore his ACL and came back and played his senior year at Arizona last year for Jedd Fisch. …Jordan’s a high-quality kid, very smart, good pass-protector, very athletic. He’s a good football player.”

Belichick went on to say that Morgan will play left tackle but “needs to get a little stronger in the lower body. The eight-time Super Bowl champion coach added, “The is a good football player. He’s got a good future.” Belichick also said that a player like Morgan “don’t grow on trees” because of his size and athleticism.

“There was no way he was getting out of the first round,” Belichick said about Morgan. “I think there are other teams that would have taken him if [the Packers] didn’t.”

Why the Packers drafted Jordan Morgan in the first round

Morgan played in all 12 games for the Arizona Wildcats in 2023. Along with being named to the All-Pac 12 First team, the 22-year-old was named an All-American by CBS Sports and 247Sports. Morgan led Arizona’s offensive line in total blocking grade (84.3), run-blocking grade (77.0), and pass-blocking grade (87.3), according to his bio.

“I think he can play all four spots,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters, referring to guard and tackle, per the Packers’ official website. “We’re fortunate enough that we’ve got a lot of guys in our group right now that can do that, and so I think we’ll kind of let the best five battle it out and see where that ends up.”

Morgan made history at the draft, becoming the first Arizona offensive lineman to be taken in the first round since the Buffalo Bills drafted John Fina at No. 27 in 1992. It’s a big accomplishment since Morgan suffered a torn ACL in November 2022 and did everything he could to be ready in 2023.

“I grinded so hard. I didn’t want to feel like a liability,” Morgan said. “I felt I was leaving my team in the dust just sitting there on the sideline and healing from an injury – I just didn’t want that to happen. That was kind of my motivation, to get back on the field with my teammates.”