Junior offensive tackle Derek Morris announced Monday he will not return for his senior season because he is entering the NFL Draft.
“I sat down with my family and some of my closest friends, and I prayed about my decision,” Morris said. “I feel like I’m ready to play at the next level, and it’s an opportunity I just can’t pass up.”
His decision comes on the wings of similar announcements from fellow juniors Mario Williams and Stephen Tulloch.
The NFL will evaluate and advise all third-year college players on where they are likely to be drafted. The 6-foot-6, 327-pound Morris said his evaluation projected him as a fourth or fifth round draft pick.
“They give you the lowest grade they see you as,” Morris said. “If they give you a fourth-or-fifth-round grade, then that’s the lowest they can see you going. But I could still go higher than the fourth round or lower than the fifth round.”
According to Morris, his offensive line coach Michael Barry thought Morris needed another year of preparation, but Morris asked Barry to support his decision.
Morris, however, said he was chasing his dream to play professional football — and not the almighty dollar.
“It’s not about the money,” Morris said. “It’s like my grandmother told me, ‘Money is not everything.’ It’s really not about the money. I just have an opportunity to play at the next level.”
He added if he returned for his senior season, his draft status might be more solidified, which might promise more money, but he reiterated he wants to play professional football, not get rich.
“My mother told me that if I was just going to come back for my senior season to earn more money, then I shouldn’t stay,” Morris said. “She told me that money would be the wrong reason to come back.”
A first-team USA Today and Parade All-American in high school, Morris originally committed to Ohio State, but came to N.C. State before the start of his freshman season. Many draft analysts have identified Morris as an elite NFL prospect over the past three years, but the junior from North Mecklenberg High School drew criticism early in the 2005 season as he struggled with penalties. As the season progressed, however, his knack for penalties seemed to relax itself.
“There are always going to be good critics, and there are always going to be bad critics,” Morris said. “All I can do is go out there and try as hard as I can. All I can do is work out my best, run as fast as I can and jump as high as I can. I’m just going to stay focused the best I can… sometimes these decisions are made because people just want to move on with their lives.”
