KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With the departure of starting tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie, the Chiefs expected to target offensive tackle early in this the 2023 NFL Draft, and in Friday night’s third round they found their man.
The Chiefs chose Oklahoma tackle Wanya Morris with the 92nd overall selection in the draft. General manager Brett Veach moved up to land Morris, moving up three spots in swapping third-round selections with Cincinnati. The Bengals also received a seventh-round pick from Kansas City, the No. 217 selection overall.
Morris certainly fits the bill as a starting left tackle in terms of size and traits. The 6-foot-5, 307-pound Morris sports an arm length of 35 1/8 inches that is prized for NFL tackles. The 22-year-old native of Grayson, Georgia, started his college career in 2019 at Tennessee, where he earned freshman All-American honors at left tackle. He transferred to Oklahoma following the 2020 season and played nine games for the Sooners last year with eight starts at right tackle.
That versatility appealed to the Chiefs, according to Mike Borgonzi, the club’s assistant general manager.
“He’s got a ton of tools,” Borgonzi said. “He’s long, he’s athletic, he’s got the feet. Now he’s just got to put everything together. And we feel comfortable with our room here that he’ll learn from some of these guys here.”
During his two seasons at Tennessee, Morris played alongside Trey Smith, who is now the starting right guard for the Chiefs. He said Smith was among the first people who called him after his selection.
“I can’t tell you how good it feels to just get those acknowledgments from the guys that you see doing great in the league and just to know that I’m going to be right there back with them,” Morris said. “Going to start off where we left off, so it’s exciting.”
While Morris offers flexibility, he hasn’t started a game at left tackle since the 2020 season. His most recent experience at Oklahoma was on the right side. That suggests that free agent addition Jawaan Taylor will start at left tackle with Morris joining the competition at right tackle along with Lucas Niang and Prince Tega Wanogho. But Borgonzi said nothing “is set in stone right now.”
“We’ll get to OTAs, and (offensive line) coach (Andy) Heck plays these guys everywhere just to see what’s the best five and who fits where,” Borgonzi said. “That’s all up to coach Heck and the offensive staff.”
For his part, Morris says no matter where he plays he’s excited to land with the Chiefs.
“I think my versatility speaks for itself, but I don’t know where I’m going to go in there and play,” Morris said. “I’m going to play whatever they need me to play. But shoot, I just got drafted, so I’m just enjoying this moment right now. I can’t tell you how excited I am at this moment. Whatever they need me to play, I’m going to play and that’s that.”
Scouting Report on Wanya Morris
A one-year starter at Oklahoma, Morris lined up at right tackle in offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby’s up-tempo, RPO-based scheme. A former five-star recruit and left tackle at Tennessee, he served as Anton Harrison’s backup at left tackle in 2021 before becoming the starter on the right side in 2022. An above average athlete for his size, Morris displays outstanding body control and weight distribution in his movements (both pass sets and run blocking). However, his rhythm starts to fall apart at contact because his upper and lower halves are often doing two different things at the same time, leaving him off-balance. Overall, Morris has NFL starting talent with his frame, length and athletic traits, but he looks like a completely different player when his leverage and technique fall apart. If he learns to become more fundamentally sound, he can lock down a swing tackle role in the NFL and eventually become a starter.
Dane Brugler, The Athletic
Morris is an athletic pass-setter with a strong inside hand but lacks a desired level of core strength to effectively push back against rush bullies. He’s very average at getting to positioning for back-side cut-off blocks in the run game and struggles to stay connected to sustain blocks due to inconsistent hand placement and drive strength in his lower half. His physical profile and experience starting at both tackle spots should give him a leg up in a camp battle for a swing tackle role.
Lance Zierlein, NFL Network
The More You Know About Wanya Morris
A five-star recruit out of Grayson High School, Morris was ranked as the No. 5 offensive tackle by ESPN in the 2019 recruiting class and was a first-team high school All-American in 2018.
Trained with renowned offensive line coach Duke Manyweather leading up to the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine during the predraft process.
Morris was named after Wanyá Morris, a lead vocalist with the R&B group Boyz II Men. Morris said his favorite song from the band is “Motownphilly.”
