A look at Oakland’s unmeasured big man

By Anthony Carroll  |   Wednesday, June 07, 2006  |  Comments( 13 )

Oakland Raiders
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Height: 6'4", Weight: 215 pounds.

Last name starts with an "M."

Not Randy Moss, Johnnie Morant--the Oakland Raiders' early fifth-round selection in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Currently, Oakland employs one of the most talent-filled wide receiving crews in the NFL. Starting one and two respectively are Randy Moss and Jerry Porter, while working the slots are Doug Gabriel and Ronald Curry. Together, the four core wideouts have hauled in 15,206 yards worth of passes.

Also sitting in the shadows are veteran speedster, Alvis Whitted, and a plethora of undrafted free agent pickups all fighting for a 2006 roster spot.

Yet, in the midst of a WR lineup ranging in jersey numbers from 7 to 89, Johnnie Morant stands tall.

Morant, a physical wideout from Syracuse, caught 88 passes in his collegiate career for 1,535 yards and a touchdown. That yardage total ranks him 10th on Syracuse's all-time pass-catching list, while he also sits second in consecutive games with a catch with 29. He also chipped in on special teams during his stretch with the Orange, stockpiling 524 kick return yards with an average of almost 24 yards per return.

In his senior season, Morant hauled in 28 passes for 784 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning him elevated respect from NFL Scouts. SuperPrep and scouting guru, Tom Lemming, had the receiver ranked at the number three spot on their wideout draft board. However, following a poor outing at the Senior Bowl week, Morant slipped all the way to the draft's fourth round--all the way to Oakland.

In his rookie season, Morant appeared in four regular season games; he caught just single pass for 20 yards. In 2005, with the addition of Randy Moss, the 24-year-old remained sidelined for all but one game, finishing the regular season with a vacant stat grid.

In 2005's preseason, however, Morant led all Oakland Raiders' receivers, grabbing 15 balls for 315 yards--a per catch average of 21 yards. In the team's final exhibition game, Morant put on an exhibition of his own. In the September 1st game facing New Orleans, the receiving giant hauled in six passes for 161 yards, including a 52-yard Andrew Walter-delivered pass.

A September day featuring strong-armed 6'6" Andrew Walter to 6'4" Johnnie Morant...

It likely won't occur next season; but, soon enough, the connection won't count for just exhibition points.

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com

Get more on Johnnie Morant at Realfootball365.com
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
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CommentsComments: 13  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
calipirate		04:59 AM
06/07/2006
Jonnie Morant has been growing up into a reciever with plenty of potential of playing in the NFL. Being 6"4 will help him reach...
No.2
Lacy Cline		07:49 AM
06/07/2006
Unfortunately for the Oakland Raiders, the best indicator of future performance is past history. An 8-8 2006 record would be a...
No.3
Al Ross		10:48 AM
06/07/2006
I have been raving about Johnnie Morant for the pass six months. It's clearly his time to step to the plate and if the Raiders...
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