Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Tanner Morgan knew there was a good chance that he wouldn't hear his name called during the 2023 NFL Draft. The team needed some more depth behind Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky with Mason Rudolph still unsigned at the time. Morgan's experience, plus perhaps a connection to Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada, led to the team reaching out with a contract.
Morgan was hanging out with friends and family in hopes that he would be one of the signal-callers to have his name called, but despite setting records at the University of Minnesota, was not one of the 14 quarterbacks selected in the 2023 draft. He recently told Steelers.com's Teresa Varley about his mindset watching the draft unfold and the process of ending up in Pittsburgh.
"I knew it was either going to be sixth or seventh round or an undrafted free agent opportunity," Morgan said. "As the draft kept going on, I kind of knew that there were only certain other places where it could happen. We just kind of monitored it that way."
After the draft had wrapped up, Morgan got a few calls from interested teams, but it was the first call from Steelers Quarterback Coach Mike Sullivan that sealed the deal. Pittsburgh was the first team to express interest and that meant something to Morgan.
"It was the place where I wanted to go," said Morgan. "When other teams called, I just said I was going to be a Steeler."
While the chance to dress as the third quarterback on gamedays with the rule change was likely dashed for Morgan when Pittsburgh opted to bring Rudolph, just being the fourth quarterback is good enough for him. He is just excited to be a part of a great group now.
"It's three great quarterbacks and great people in Kenny and Mitch and Mason," he said. " It's an opportunity where I'm super excited to be part of that room and to learn from those guys. Just be involved in the day-to-day process. It's a fantastic culture that's been built over a long period of time and that's incredibly attractive. It's great coaches and I'm excited to learn from them, and obviously a lot of great players and I'm just excited to go in and learn and be an asset in any way that I can."
Life Experiences On And Off The Field Prepare Morgan To Make A Drop In The Bucket In 2023
Morgan's experience on the field setting multiple records while compiling a 33-14 record as a starter was certainly a big factor in landing a job with Pittsburgh, but it's his life experience off the field that makes him even more attractive as a quality person for the organization. He's only about 14 months younger than Pickett. He has a wife with a child on the way. Back in 2021, Morgan had to deal with the loss of his father due to brain cancer. The connection between father and son along with the family's memories and connection to the Minnesota program was explored during an ESPN College Gameday featurette and the focus on rain giving his mother, Pat, a moment of reflection turned out to be a theme for the family.
During his father's funeral which was held on a nice sunny day, rain began to fall when Taps started to play for the Navy veteran. The Gophers opened the 2022 season with rain pouring down as Morgan scored two touchdowns to wallop the New Mexico State Aggies 38-0. When Morgan got married, there was light rainfall.
Shortly before his phone lit up with a call from the Steelers, his mother informed him it was raining. Now Morgan is ready to try to make a splash with his first NFL opportunity.
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