There was a time when former Notre Dame football star Benjamin Morrison would have been a first-round pick. Then he suffered season ending injuries in two consecutive seasons and couldn’t work out at the NFL Combine or even at the Fighting Irish pro day.
And so, the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft came and went with not a single Notre Dame player being selected. However, Morrison did all he could to show that he is now ready to get to work. He held a workout just days ahead of the draft’s start and is hoping that Friday won’t end before he finds himself an NFL team.
Notre Dame standout fights to prove he's healthy before second day of NFL Draft
“They wanted to see if I could move,” the Notre Dame defensive back told 12 News in Arizona earlier this week. “I think I answered that question pretty well.”
Benjamin Morrison took the health of his hip into his own hands.
— Jake García (@Jake_M_Garcia) April 22, 2025
Three days before the NFL Draft, he held a workout for NFL teams.
More than 20 scouts showed up to watch him work at his old stomping grounds at Brophy Prep.@12SportsAZ @BrophyAthletics @BMoe_21 pic.twitter.com/0Bm4vCRBcw
Morrison showed that he could move by running routes and catching the football. Interestingly enough, because it was a solo workout, he didn’t show off much of what made him a great defensive back, instead looking more like a wide receiver showing off his wheels and hands.
Of course, considering that if there is one thing that held him back from being drafted, it was a worry that he can’t get up and down the field quickly enough.
This year, he’s bouncing back from a torn labrum in his hip. And he knows that the NFL wasn’t thrilled that he couldn’t or wouldn’t work out at the combine or Pro Day. So now he’s trying to make a statement and show he’s ready to go.
“I think for me, it's just like, look. The hips weren't an issue,” Morrison said. “I wanted to answer that question before draft just because I don’t want to leave it up to them. Morrison took the health of his hip into his own hands, considered a move to bolster his stock. I think a lot of people forgot, but that’s why I did it so they can’t forget. Three days before the draft, they see that I can move and be healthy. His high school supporters like what they saw.”
With the NFL Draft restarting on Friday night, it’s all about hoping he can go in the second, or maybe the third round. Should he do so, he could be among a group of Notre Dame football players all going in the second day.