Small-school prospect Jordan Morgan from Kutztown showed up at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis earlier this year to impress the league’s 32 teams.
for Morgan, the idea was to show he has what it takes to go up against prospects from larger schools. Maybe the guard would shine in the weight room. Maybe he could find a way to stand out in individual drills.
In no way did Morgan think that his ability to stare would play a role in the evaluation process. A staring contests to be precise.
“The strangest thing I had asked of me at the combine was how long I could have my eyes open in a staring contest,” Morgan said, via PennLive.com. “I thought it was weird, but it’s one of those things you don’t question on the spot.”
Well, isn’t that about a hoot and a half? How exactly a staring contest would impact the evaluation process is not yet known. Then again, Morgan plays guard. He is asked to look into the eyes of the defender for a few seconds prior to the snap. Should he have lost the contest, maybe teams might figure that Morgan would be more likely to flinch.
Whatever the reasoning, Morgan believes he aced this part of the process.
“I didn’t blink at all. He told me I could stare at anything. I just focused on a water bottle,” Morgan continued. “I don’t know how long it was, but it was pretty long. My eyes were fogging up. I couldn’t see after. He was just like, ‘I got what I need. You can stop now.’”
Morgan is expected to be a late-round pick in this month’s draft. One has to wonder if he shot up any draft boards after acing the staring contest.