Dennis Morris (American football)
Dennis Morris (born February 15, 1987) is a former American football tight end. Morris was an All-American tight end for Louisiana Tech. He was drafted in the sixth round (174th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.
| Free agent | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Born: | February 15, 1987 Shreveport, Louisiana | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Weight: | 265 lb (120 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Shreveport (LA) Woodlawn | ||
| College: | Louisiana Tech | ||
| NFL Draft: | 2010 / Round: 6 / Pick: 174 | ||
| Career history | |||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||
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He was also a member of the St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers, and West Texas Wildcatters.
Early life
Morris was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he attended and played high school football for Woodlawn High School.[1] A multi-talented athlete, he played wide receiver, running back, quarterback, and linebacker while in high school. In his career, he totaled 1,947 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns, as well as 216 career tackles and eight interceptions. Morris earned all-district honors three times and was named to the Shreveport Times All-City team as a senior.[1]
Morris also ran track and played basketball. As a senior, he was named the District 1-4A MVP in basketball.[1]
College career
Morris played college football at Louisiana Tech University. He played in 48 career games with 21 starts, and totaled 70 career receptions for 1,144 yards and 16 touchdowns.[2]
As a freshman, Morris played in all 13 games (two started) as a tight end, a position he did not play in high school. In the third game of the season, he recorded 103 receiving yards in a loss against Texas A&M University. On November 4, 2006, he caught his first touchdown reception in a win against the University of North Texas. Morris finished the season with 16 receptions for 284 yards and three touchdowns.[1][2]
Morris played in all 12 games as a sophomore and had nine catches for 79 yards. In addition to playing tight end, he was also used as a blocking back and running back in goal-line situations. On September 8, 2007, he scored his first career rushing touchdown in a 45-44 overtime loss against the University of Hawaii.[1][2] During his junior season, Morris played in all 13 games and started seven. He had seven receptions for 158 yards and one touchdown.[1][2]
As a senior, Morris earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference and All-American honors and had a team-high 38 receptions for 623 yards and 12 touchdowns.[2] His twelve touchdowns were the most nationally by a tight end.[3] On November 21, 2009, he set career-highs in receptions (seven), receiving yards (131) and touchdowns (three) in a loss against Fresno State University.[2] He became the first Louisiana Tech player since 1999 to catch three touchdown passes in a game. When his college career ended, he ranked tenth in school history with 16 touchdown receptions.[3]
Pre-draft
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 1⁄8 in (1.86 m) |
265 lb (120 kg) |
4.82 s | 1.73 s | 2.81 s | 4.65 s | 7.26 s | 29 in (0.74 m) | 9 ft 1 in (2.77 m) | 20 reps | x | ||
| All values from LA Tech Pro Day[4] | ||||||||||||
Professional career
Washington Redskins
Morris was drafted in the sixth round (174th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He signed a four-year $1.823 million contract, including a $118,000 signing bonus, with the Redskins on June 11, 2010.[5]
St. Louis Rams
On August 30, 2010, Morris was traded to the St. Louis Rams for an undisclosed conditional draft pick.[6][7]
San Diego Chargers
On January 12, 2011, Morris was signed to a reserve/future contract by the San Diego Chargers. He was waived/injured on August 24, and after passing through waivers unclaimed, reverted to injured reserve.
West Texas Wildcatters
In 2014, Morris signed to play for the West Texas Wildcatters of the Lone Star Football League.
References
- "Dennis Morris - Louisiana Tech". Louisiana Tech. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- "Dennis Morris - Washington Redskins". Washington Redskins. Archived from the original on August 21, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- "NFL Draft - Draft Prospects - Dennis Morris". Philly.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- Dagger (February 29, 2010). "2010 LA Tech Pro Day". postgameheroes.com. Retrieved June 19, 2010. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - "Redskins sign Dennis Morris, Erik Cook". National Football Post. Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- http://www.espnstlouis.com/post/56717_jackson_could_sit_out_thursday%5B%5D, ESPN St. Louis, Retrieved August 31, 2010
- http://www.latechsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/010710aab.html, Louisiana Tech Athletics, Retrieved August 31, 2010