Injuries plagued Benjamin Morrison's rookie season. Can the promising defensive back overcome setbacks and fulfill his potential for the Buccaneers?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used their first-round pick in last year’s draft on a receiver and their final pick on another receiver.
After that, they focused on defense.
The Bucs used four of their six picks on defensive players, and Benjamin Morrison was the first one.
Morrison came to Tampa Bay after a successful career at Notre Dame.
Morrison broke up 23 passes and intercepted nine more in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, leading to him being a preseason All-America selection for 2024. But Morrison’s third and final season in South Bend ended in October due to an injury requiring surgery on his left hip.
The Bucs understood that, had Morrison not been injured and continued to produce for Notre Dame, he could well have gone in first round, and were happy to take him 53rd.
As a cornerback, Morrison’s ball skills and versatility -- he played man and zone for the Irish -- made him an attractive pick.
Bucs Roundtable will take a look at where each 2025 Bucs draft pick stands after their rookie season, starting with their seventh-round pick and working down.
Previous features in the series included profiles of receivers Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson, defensive tackle Elijah Roberts, linebacker David Walker and Jacob Parrish.
INJURIES CARRY OVER
Injuries dogged Morrison even into the NFL. He missed seven games in 2025, due to nagging hamstring injury he'd suffered in the preseason. When Morrison did play, he struggled. Pro Football Focus had him as the 108th-ranked cornerback out of 114, ranking him 95th in coverage and 110th in run defense. Additionally, Morrison struggled in tackling, missing more than 21 percent of his tackles, which was the highest rate of any Buccaneer defender who played at least 100 snaps. Granted, PFF isn't gospel. But Morrisons "traditional" numbers didn't speak well for him, either. He didn't intercept a pass in 10 games and only broke up three.
WILL HE GET BETTER?
For Morrison to prove to the Bucs that they didn't make a mistake by drafting him, he needs to be better than he was as a rookie. As of now, Tampa's third-round pick, Parrish, has been more valuable at the same position. The good news for Morrison is that he's still quite young-- the youngest player on the team, in fact. He turns 22 on March 11, so he's got plenty of time to grow.
If Morrison can raise his game, the Bucs could have their cornerback tandem in place for the next several years, with Parris being the second youngest player on the team. But he has to prove himself.
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