David Morgan II

David Morgan II
No. 89Minnesota Vikings
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Date of birth: (1993-05-19) May 19, 1993
Place of birth: Marble Falls, Texas
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school: Marble Falls (TX)
College: UTSA
NFL Draft: 2016 / Round: 6 / Pick: 188
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

David Morgan II (born May 19, 1993) is an American football tight end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UTSA from 2011 to 2015 and became the school's first draftee when the Vikings selected him in the sixth round, 188th overall of the 2016 NFL Draft.

High school career

Born in Marble Falls, Texas, Morgan attended Marble Falls High School. A basketball and soccer player his entire life, Morgan started his football journey as a quarterback. From eighth grade on, he started playing as a wide receiver and helped lead his team to its first playoff appearance. He recorded 27 receptions for 478 yards (17.7 avg.) and eight touchdowns en route to first-team all-district honors as a junior. As a senior in 2010, he received second-team class 4A all-state, Austin American-Statesman first-team All-Centex and first-team All-District 25-4A honors after hauling in 68 passes for 1,251 yards (18.4 avg.) and 14 touchdowns. Aside from football, Morgan was a three-time academic all-district honoree and earned honorable mention academic all-state accolades as a senior and also participated in track & field at Marble.

Personal Life

Morgan has a tight bond with his family, particularly his parents. Morgan frequently consults with them for important decisions, notably various aspects of the process of transitioning from college football to the NFL. Outside of football, Morgan enjoys the outdoors and frequently goes hunting and fishing.[1] Morgan has an eclectic taste in music and has a penchant for James Taylor, born from exposure from his parents as a kid.

College career

At UTSA, Morgan served as the go-to target for his quarterback. Playing as a reserve in 2011, Morgan flashed talent by catching 13 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns, with at least one reception in the opening nine contests. He posted a career-long catch-and-run of 63 yards in the season opener against Northeastern State. The following year, Morgan redshirted due to injury and managed just seven catches for 69 yards in his return in 2013. He earned honorable mention All-CUSA recognition as a junior in 2014, nabbing 20 passes for 255 yards and a score while missing more time with another injury. As a senior in 2015, Morgan started all 12 games for the Roadrunners and was named a second-team All-American and second-team All-CUSA selection after finishing among the leading tight ends in the country with 45 receptions for 566 yards and setting the school's single-season record for touchdowns with five while also proving to be a great blocker (Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded him as the top run-blocking tight end in the nation). He twice managed nine receptions in a game during the season, against Louisiana Tech and Arizona, with his 109-yard effort against the Wildcats being UTSA’s first 100-yard receiving game in three years. Morgan refused to take all the credit, saying in the press release: "This is an outstanding honor, one that would not have been possible without my coaches and teammates. To become the first All-American in UTSA history is something that is very humbling.”

Professional career

Pre-draft

Prior to the draft, NFL.com ranked Morgan tenth overall among tight ends and gave him a grade of 5.17, meaning he has a "better-than-average chance to make an NFL team roster."[2]

External video
Morgan's NFL Combine workout
Morgan gets drafted by Minnesota
Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 4 in 262 lb33 58 in10 12 in 4.83 s 1.68 s 2.82 s 4.19 s 6.93 s 32 in 9 ft 7 in 29 reps
All values from NFL Combine except 40 time and vertical from UTSA's Pro Day[2]

On February 2016, Morgan was invited to perform at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, becoming the first player to attend this event in the history of UTSA. In the bench press testing, he ranked number one among tight ends with an official score of 29 repetitions. He also finished first in the 20-yard shuttle with a 4.19-second run, completed the 3-cone drill in 6.93 seconds to place third and took fifth with a time of 11.60 seconds in the 60-yard shuttle. At his pro day, Morgan improved in both his 40-yard dash (4.83 seconds) and vertical jump (32 inches) in front of over 20 NFL scouts.

Minnesota Vikings

After moving up eight slots in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings acquired the 188th overall pick and selected Morgan, making him the first ever player from UTSA to be drafted.

Career statistics

College

Year Team Rec Yards Avg Long Rec TDs
2011 UTSA 13 214 16.5 63 2
2013 UTSA 7 69 9.9 19 0
2014 UTSA 20 255 12.8 25 1
2015 UTSA 45 566 12.6 32 5
College Totals 85 1,104 13.0 63 8

References

  1. "[Podcast] Episode 19 - #UTSA TE David Effing Morgan". www.rowdytalk.com. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  2. 1 2 "TE - David Morgan". nfl.com.
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