Jimmy
Morrissey.
Jimmy
Morrissey.
Pittsburgh· 6'3"· 303 lb· 5.31s 40
"A 6'3", 303-lb four-year Pitt starter and Rimington finalist who walked on, earned a scholarship, and posted a 9.27 RAS — a Day 3 backup center projection where the intelligence and testing outran the length and power."Pre-draft read
This zone-scheme center operates as the offensive line's traffic cop, reading fronts pre-snap and redirecting protections at the line. He gets the ball out clean under duress with either hand. In the run game he excels on reach and combo blocks, using his quickness, precise angles, and consistent hand placement to cut off backside pursuit and climb to second-level linebackers on time.
He displays excellent lateral agility on pulls and screens, playing with bend and pad level that allows him to win first contact. In pass protection he is a technician with independent hands, quiet feet, and a firm anchor against bull rushes, coupled with the awareness to pass off twists and stunts cleanly. He is rarely beaten twice the same way and reliably executes protection calls.
Zone-scheme centers are at their best in offenses that prioritize lateral mobility and technique over raw power, where quickness, angles, and hand placement are more critical than mass.
Year 1 depth center in a zone-heavy scheme, with the ceiling to develop into a high-floor, long-term starting center due to his elite football IQ.
Gap/power run games that demand a road-grader center capable of displacing large interior defensive linemen through sheer force.
A highly intelligent, mobile, and technically sound center whose physical limitations in arm length and power cap his ceiling but make him a reliable fit for zone-blocking schemes.
Pitt C Jimmy Morrissey vs Clemson (2020)
Senior tape against Clemson: zone reach blocks, second-level climbs and pass-pro reps against interior length.
Pitt C Jimmy Morrissey — Quick Lane Bowl (2019)
2019 postseason cutup showing pull-and-log work in the run game and communication resetting protections.
Jimmy Morrissey — Pitt Pro Day 2021
Full pro-day workout including agility drills and position work that anchored his 9.27 RAS profile.
Morrissey projected as a high-floor, low-ceiling pivot, valued by zone-heavy schemes. Teams sought his elite processing skills, functional athleticism, and consistent play, accepting his adequate strength and shorter arm length. He was seen as a developmental starter, with intelligence and mobility expected to translate quickly despite physical limitations. He logged a 9.27 Relative Athletic Score (RAS).
He arrived at Pittsburgh as a walk-on, earned a scholarship, and subsequently started 43 consecutive games at center. A two-time team captain and Rimington Trophy semifinalist, he was an All-ACC selection. He handled all protection calls and front identifications in a pro-style offense, consistently redirecting the line against late pressure and interior stunts.
Evaluators noted his arm length and functional power as concerns, particularly against NFL-caliber nose tackles. Consensus boards slotted him as a late Day 3 developmental starter. He was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 230th pick, where the bet was his mental and movement traits would overcome his physical profile.
- 01
Four-year starter
Started 43 straight games at center for Pittsburgh, an exceptional durability and availability marker at the most communication-dependent spot on the offensive line.
- 02
Elite processor
Handled all protection calls and front IDs for a pro-style Pitt offense, rarely got protections wrong, and consistently redirected the line against late pressure looks.
- 03
Movement skills
Displays top-tier center agility, showing up when climbing to the second level and pulling out in front on screens and toss plays.
- 04
Hand technique
Independent, well-timed hands with consistent inside placement, allowing him to control defenders through contact without lunging or over-committing his frame.
- 05
Zone-scheme fit
His best reps are reach blocks, combos, and cut-offs; angles, footwork, and quickness off the ball translate cleanly to outside-zone teams.
- 01
Short arms
Below-average arm length lets long, heavy interior rushers get into his chest first, forcing him to reset his base and giving up leverage he cannot always recover.
- 02
Marginal anchor
Functional strength against average power, but can be walked back into the pocket by elite bull rushers when he doesn't sink his hips on time.
- 03
Position-locked
Almost exclusively a center at Pittsburgh with little guard exposure, which limits roster flexibility on game days where interior backups usually swing.
- 04
Lower-body power
Average lower-half explosion in short-yardage down-blocking situations, where he can be moved off the spot by heavier defensive tackles.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.31sp50
- Vertical
- 31inp50
- Broad jump
- 105inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.39sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.47sp50
- Bench
- 26repp50
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Pittsburgh | 12 |
| 2018 | Pittsburgh | 14 |
| 2019 | Pittsburgh | 13 |
| 2020 | Pittsburgh | 11 |
| Career | — | 50 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Late-round zone-scheme center prospect who profiles as an emergency starter and practice-squad regular, matching Morrissey''s realistic outcome curve.
Smart, mobile late-round center whose processing and toughness carried modest length into a decade-long NFL career as a starter and swing interior piece.
Undersized-armed college-star center who bounced between practice squads and gameday inactives as a career backup rather than a durable NFL starter.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. A former walk-on who left Pitt as a four-year starting center, team captain, and Rimington Trophy semifinalist, Morrissey checked in at 6''3", 303 pounds with a 9.27 RAS built on plus movement skills (5.31 forty, 7.39 three-cone, 4.47 shuttle) and a 31-inch vertical. Boards liked the intelligence, consistency, and zone fit; the concerns were arm length and functional power against NFL-caliber nose tackles. Rimington finalist and All-ACC honors, but a locked-in developmental Day 3 evaluation.
NFL fit — Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders spent the 230th pick on Morrissey as a developmental center behind Andre James, betting his processing and mobility would translate to their outside-zone scheme. He was waived at final cuts as a rookie and claimed by the New York Giants, who kept him in their center rotation for parts of three seasons behind Nick Gates and Jon Feliciano. His NFL work has been almost entirely spot duty and emergency snaps, with bounces between the active roster and practice squad as he cycled through Giants and Titans camps.
Retrospective. The evaluation held up honestly: a smart, well-conditioned center whose lack of length and elite power capped him as a backup rather than a starter. He extracted more career than most 230th picks by being a coach-friendly locker-room piece and reliable emergency pivot, which is exactly the outcome a late seventh-round center is drafted to be.