UW-Stout's Morning ready to show his stuff for NFL scouts
By Jesse O’Brien Leader-Telegram staff
Like many boys who grew up in the long shadow of Lambeau Field, Trevor Morning always dreamt of playing within its confines.
A Bloomer native, Morning would spend hours playing backyard football with his dad and his brother, acting out the roles of Packers greats Robert Brooks and Don Beebe.
“It’s everyone’s dream as a kid,†Morning said. “I’ve been a football junkie ever since I was four years old, and I always wanted to have the chance to play on the field those guys do, have my family and friends come out and just do what they do out there.â€
In less than three months, he’ll finally get his chance.
Following his senior season at UW-Stout, Morning was encouraged to apply to participate in one of the NFL Regional Scouting Combines by his trainer, former UW-Stout running back Ryan Englebert, who owns ETS Gym in Woodbury, Minn.
So the wideout sent in the $245 registration fee along with his college stats, accolades and a short bio, and waited.
A couple of weeks ago, he heard back — he had been registered for the regional combine March 29 in Indianapolis.
“When I got the letter, just that I could get down there to the Indy training facility, I was ecstatic,†he said. “It’s pretty big time.â€
To look at him, Morning isn’t an archetypal NFL prospect — at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, he’s never been the biggest player on the field.
But that didn’t stop him from becoming UW-Stout’s primary deep threat, averaging 17.5 yards per catch in his three years as a starter.
Precise route running and blazing speed helped Morning consistently get behind his defenders, and coach Clayt Birmingham thinks those are the attributes that are going to attract the NFL scouts in attendance.
“The name of the game at the higher level is speed, and that’s definitely what makes him appealing,†he said. “But he’s got good strength too. Trevor was just a good athlete, and he’s a high-character kid. So it’ll be interesting to see how he stands out.â€
In his senior year, Morning was a team captain and caught 42 passes for a team-high 732 yards and six touchdowns, earning him honorable mention All-WIAC honors.
“I know my speed is going to be my best attribute that hopefully will catch some eyes,†he said. “With the game becoming more pass heavy, and me not being the biggest guy, I have to concentrate on speed and my hands and running good routes.â€
Morning said part of the reason he chose the Indianapolis Combine rather than one hosted in Chicago was to have extra time to fine tune those numbers. When the season finished, he continued to work on trimming seconds of his 40 time, which he estimates being somewhere in the neighborhood of 4.4.
Morning hopes to trim that time down to a high 4.3, but also knows he’ll have to do some dazzling when it comes to catching footballs and running routes.
“Coming from a small-town school and a small place, you’re not going to be looked at very much, so I’ve got to stand out and show what I can do,†he said. “You’ve got to do some eye-popping things.â€
It’s a long shot that Morning will be drafted — of the 254 players taken in the 2013 NFL Draft, only four participated in regional combines — but 29 regional combine participants were on opening day rosters (either on the active roster, practice squad or injured reserve), and 10 made 53-man active rosters.
But it is a shot, and that’s all Morning is asking for.
“All I’m hoping for is a chance,†he said. “That’s all I need. To have that one chance to show what I can do.â€
