Oakland Raiders: Biggest Roster Surprises On Cutdown Day
By Kevin Saito
Nicholas Morrow
Morrow has been the story of camp this year. A UDFA out of Division III Greenville College, Morrow has done nothing but make plays when he’s on the field.
He caught the coaching staff’s attention early on and did nothing but continue to impress them throughout. But even after putting together an impressive body of work over the summer, most considered Morrow to still be a long shot to make the 53-man roster.
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The hard work and impressive performances Morrow put in through camp and the exhibition season paid off as the became the first player from Greenville to ever crack a team’s active roster.
Given the troubles the Raiders have had with their linebackers group over the last couple of seasons, Morrow has a shot to earn some regular snaps, given his productivity against both the run and the pass. And more than anything, Oakland needs help from their linebackers in covering the pass.
Opposing tight ends and running backs have owned the middle of the field over the last couple of seasons and have run rampant through that second level of the defense. Morrow can potentially help put a stop to that.
More than the 15 combined tackles he had over the course of his preseason snaps, Morrow flashed an ability to defend the pass as well.
According to Austin Gayle of Pro Football Focus, Morrow was pretty good in pass coverage, allowing three receptions on five targets on 70 coverage snaps.
#Raiders LB Nicholas Morrow allowed just 3 REC on 5 TAR for 48 yards on 70 cov. snaps through four preseason games. That's a job well done.
— Austin Gayle (@austingayle_) September 1, 2017
Given the fact that fifth-round pick Marquel Lee looks like a two-down linebacker and will have to come off the field on obvious passing downs, Morrow may have an opportunity to help shore up an incredibly leaky part of this Raiders defense and contribute right away.
And who knows, maybe if he proves himself capable of being a three-down player, his role might be expanded even more. Think it’s a long shot? So was Morrow making the roster at all.