Dolphins Draft Pick Patrick McMorris Deep Dive

The 2024 NFL draft is over, and the Miami Dolphins are hoping their seven-player class can help them take that next step and get over the hump in the playoffs.

Miami’s draft featured a first-round pick for the first time since 2021, a second-round pick and five picks on Day 3, including a trade to get them back into the fourth round.

Our series of film breakdowns continues with Patrick McMorris, who the Dolphins selected No. 198 overall in the sixth round out of California. McMorris spent four years at San Diego State before transferring to California for his fifth season.

He was incredibly productive across those five seasons, registering 252 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, six interceptions, 23 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

McMorris started 40 games in college, but does he have the skills to make the Dolphins roster and contribute? Let’s dive in and see what the film tells us.

One of the best things McMorris has going for him is experience playing all three safety spots. He played 357 snaps at free safety, 247 in the box and 171 at slot corner.

That said, McMorris lacks the speed and range to play free safety at the NFL level. He can’t close down zone windows quickly enough to make plays on the ball or stop receivers from getting behind for big plays.

He does a much better job closer to the line scrimmage, playing as a pseudo-linebacker. He has good instincts to find receivers in zone coverage and make some plays on the ball.

Although he only had three pass breakups and one INT this past season, most of them were impressive plays on the ball from the box.

His slot reps are pretty hit-and-miss. He possesses good arm length (66th percentile wingspan) and physicality to match up with tight ends, especially on shallow route concepts.

McMorris doesn’t have the speed or change of directions skills to match up with shifty slot receivers, so he’s mostly matchup-specific regarding his man coverage abilities.

If McMorris is asked to keep eyes on the backfield and break downhill, he can be an effective coverage option. That role is becoming more robust across the league with more teams using three safety packages.

The Ravens used a lot of three-safety looks when new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver was there last season, so it’s not hard to see why McMorris’ skill set would be worth taking a shot on.

McMorris is an incredibly frustrating run defender on tape. He’s got the physical mentality you’d want in a defense back, but he doesn’t apply those skills effectively.

His explosiveness coming downhill allows him to fill his gap with good timing, and he doesn’t shy away from contact. When he’s playing well, McMorris is a legitimate plus against the run. He’s got the length to wrap-up-tackle outside of his frame, and he has good hit power when arriving from depth.

He’s also a smart run defender who will take good angles, avoid blocks and push runners back inside where he’s got more help from second-level defenders. McMorris played a lot of weakside linebacker last season and showed good promise there.

The one thing holding McMorris back is poor tackling. Among 2024 draft-eligible safeties who took at least 200 snaps in run defense last season, McMorris’ 24.1 missed tackle percentage ranks fifth, according to PFF.

On tape, McMorris misses tackles for two reasons. The first is he doesn’t use his length to wrap up tacklers going to the ground. He makes contact, but he doesn’t finish the play, allowing savvier ball carriers to escape.

The other problem is he arrives at contact unbalanced. He doesn’t stay square to his target, allowing them to sidestep him and explode into open grass. McMorris’ aggression leads to some big plays, but it also makes him wildly inconsistent.

Bad tackling at the safety position means a lot more than it does at others because safeties are often the defense’s last line of prevention.

If a ball carrier or receiver gets past a safety, a play can go from a 10-yard gain to a touchdown very quickly. Morris is likely to play in the box more often than not, which could lessen the number of big plays he allows.

However, that limitation places many caveats on his versatility against the run and how Miami can deploy him in certain packages.

McMorris’ evaluation is a lot more straightforward than some of the others we’ve done for Miami’s draft picks. His best bet to make the roster will come on special teams, not playing a significant role on the defense.

From a pure numbers perspective, the Dolphins’ safety room has room for McMorris. Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer are the only listed safeties on the team’s roster (not counting undrafted rookie free agents). Elijah Campbell, listed as a defensive back, will also factor into the safety room.

Still, just three players leaves plenty of room for McMorris to make the roster, especially if the Dolphins want to use three safeties on game day.

Based on his film, the Dolphins would be better off bringing in another safety via free agency than relying on McMorris. He’s too limited in coverage and too inconsistent when defending the run to play significant snaps as a rookie.

The good news is that his physical demeanor does translate well to special teams. If the Dolphins can improve his tackling, he’s got enough skills to make an impact there.

Remember, sixth-round picks are not guaranteed to make the final roster, so doing so would be a win for the pick and McMorris.

Even if he sticks on the practice squad for the 2024 season, that doesn’t necessarily mean the pick is a total miss. Just don’t bank on McMorris making a major impact on defense anytime soon.

-- First-round pick Chop Robinson

-- Second-round pick Patrick Paul

-- Fourth-round pick Jaylen Wright

-- Fifth-round pick Mohamed Kamara

-- Sixth-round pick Malik Washington