Mitch Morse, Former Missouri Tigers OL, Drafted By Kansas City in 2nd
By Ron Davis
When Shane Ray went off the board in round one at pick 23 to the Denver Broncos, one wondered who and where the next Missouri Tigers player would be drafted. In the middle of the second round at pick number 49, the Kansas City Chiefs took offensive lineman Mitch Morse and kept him in the state of Missouri.
Going into the 2014 season, Morse was thought of as a late-round to undrafted lineman. Over the course of the year Morse proved to be a stable on a somewhat unstable offensive line for the Tigers and improved his stock to a surefire draft pick.
Where Morse really made his money was the NFL Combine where he tested extremely well. He ranked among the top ten for o-linemen in the 40-yard dash (5.14 -8th), bench rep (36 -2nd), vertical jump (31.0 -8th), broad jump (9’4″ -4th), three-cone drill (7.60 -7th), and 20-yard shuttle (4.50 -3rd).
That is every test the NFL Combine offers offensive linemen, and Morse was among the top 10 in every category. That shot up him up the draft boards to at least a mid-round pick, according to most mock drafts.
So 49th overall was a little higher than most projected him, and there were a lot of draft experts who didn’t give the Chiefs a high grade for taking Morse when they did. But at the end of the day, if the Chiefs had him number one on their big board for that pick, then it’s hard to really condemn them for getting their guy.
Oct 18, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Mitch Morse (65) blocks against the Florida Gators during the first quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
On the field Morse played tackle the past two years, right tackle in 2013 and left tackle in 2014. He’s mostly likely going to transition inside to either guard or tackle however. He happens to familiar with the interior because he started at center in 2012 and played some guard throughout his early Mizzou career.
Morse played very well and performed exceptionally at the Combine but another reason that teams trusted picking him was Justin Britt.
Britt played left tackle in 2013 and was in the same position Morse was in throughout the year in terms of draft stock. After a good test at the Combine, the Seattle Seahawks shocked everyone in the league (maybe Britt too) when they selected him with the last pick of the second round in the 2014 draft.
After a stellar rookie campaign for the eventual NFC Champion Seahawks, Britt elevated to one of the premier young tackles in the NFL. That certainly helped Morse, as NFL teams likely now have much more trust in Missouri linemen.
Back to Morse, the Chiefs are getting a very solid, versatile lineman. Will he make a bunch of Pro Bowls, and All-Pro teams? Maybe not, but he’s a smart, hard-working guy, who can play in the NFL for a long time.
Morse joins former Mizzou receiver Jeremy Maclin in Kansas City, and both are great ambassadors for the Mizzou program. Gary Pinkel is very happy to add another high draft pick to the growing long list of players he’s helped get to the NFL.