A general view of Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmets against the Kansas City Chiefs. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Buccaneers rookie compared to recent Hall of Fame inductee

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 1:00 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison hopes to get off to the right start in his NFL career.

If he ends up like 2025 Hall of Fame inductee Eric Allen, Morrison should be thrilled with his career.

"Any comparison to Allen has to be centered around tremendous, natural ball skills that will lead to considerable pass breakup and interception totals in the NFL. The former Eagles, Saints and Raiders great hit the ground sprinting with five picks as a rookie in 1988 and finished with a whopping 54 in his Hall of Fame career. Pass breakups weren't officially logged until 1999, and even in his third-to-last season, Allen had 17 of those with the Raiders," CBS Sports contributor Chris Trapasso wrote.

"Morrison came on the scene in South Bend in 2022, and snagged six interceptions. In 2023, he hauled in three more. And the smaller Allen was such a smooth but dynamic mover. It allowed him to break on the ball in a flash, and he played the game with essentially zero stiffness.

"The same is true with Morrison, who I thought was every bit as good in pure man coverage as Travis Hunter. Because of his 2024 injury, the Buccaneers were able to select him in the second round. Morrison surrendered less than a 46% catch rate in all three of his campaigns at Notre Dame. Playing for a defensive-minded coach in Todd Bowles increases the likelihood of Morrison reaching his potential in Tampa Bay too. And that absolutely maximum potential is Hall of Fame caliber."

Benjamin Morrison could follow in Eric Allen's footsteps

Morrison has a long way to go to reach Allen's potential, but it's very high praise from Trapasso to list him in the same breath as the recent Hall-of-Famer.

The first step for Morrison is to get past this injury that plagued him during his time at Notre Dame. If he's able to recover fully from it, he should get a considerable amount of playing time in his rookie season.

The Bucs hope Morrison can emerge into a mainstay in their secondary. If he can do that and play at a high level, not only will the Bucs have a team that can compete in the playoffs, but it will help fuel the foundation of Morrison's Hall-of-Fame case.