The New England Patriots entered the 2026 NFL Draft with a clear hierarchy at quarterback. Nonetheless, they opted to add more depth to the pairing of starter Drake Maye and backup Tommy DeVito: they invested the 234th overall selection in the seventh round, bringing aboard Texas Tech’s Behren Morton.
The ninth QB picked in this year’s draft, Morton is heading toward his rookie campaign as the third option on the roster. What can be expected of him, though? Let’s find out.
Hard facts
Name: Behren Morton
Position:
Quarterback
Jersey number: 15
Opening day age: 24 (1/17/2002)
Measurements: 6’2 1/8”, 218 lbs, 30 5/8” arm length, 75 7/8” wingspan, 9 1/2” hand size, 4.89s 40-yard dash, 7.17s 3-cone drill, 4.44s short shuttle, 30 1/2” vertical jump, 9’5” broad jump, 5.66 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New England Patriots (2026-) | College: Texas Tech (2021-25)
A multi-purpose player at Eastland, TX, High School, Morton played quarterback, safety, punter and kicker. The four-star recruit went on to earn scholarship offers from prestigious programs such as USC, Baylor and Texas A&M, but ultimately went with the team that first showed serious interest in him — and the one he was rooting for growing up: Texas Tech.
Morton arrived in Lubbock in January 2021, but despite being the highest-ranked QB recruit in the program’s history saw minimal action before redshirting as a freshman. He upped his workload the next two seasons as the backup to starter Tyler Shough, earning honorable All-Big 12 mentions twice as a busy injury replacement (he started 12 combined games in 2022 and 2023). After Shough transferred to Louisville in 2024, the door was open for Morton to become the Red Raiders’ full-time QB1.
In that role, he started all 24 games he appeared in over the next two seasons and was twice named a team captain while also adding his third honorable All-Big 12 nomination. In total, Morton played 45 games with 36 starts in college, completing 793 of 1,263 pass attempts (62.8%) for 8,986 yards, 71 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.
Scouting report
Strengths: Morton is a tough and sturdy quarterback, who clears the minimum height NFL teams are looking for in their quarterbacks. His arm doesn’t stand out, but he still delivers a generally accurate ball and has shown that he is willing and able to push the ball downfield. He also throws with anticipation and goes through his progressions. Morton offers experience operating RPO concepts, and is flexible enough in his lower body to maneuver the pocket or escape altogether in hopes of extending plays. He furthermore was a leader at Texas Tech, as evidenced by his status as a two-time captain.
Weaknesses: Morton lacks any true standout traits as a thrower of the ball. His velocity is adequate at best, which makes tight-window throws a challenge, and his accuracy can be on-again, off-again. His decision making also leaves some to be desired, as does his ability to sense pressure or quickly diagnose coverage. He also is not the most natural athlete, and while he can find escape lanes is typically not a serious threat with the ball in his hands. Furthermore, Morton missed a combined nine games over his four non-redshirt seasons in college; he had to sit out at least one game per season.
2025 review
Stats: 12 games (12 starts) | 687 offensive snaps | 219-of-332 (66.0%), 2,780 passing yards, 22 TDs, 6 INTs | 89 times pressured (incl. 21 sacks), 4 FMBs | 21 carries (excl. 4 kneel-downs), 75 rushing yards (3.6/carry) | 1 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)
Season recap: Coming off his most successful season up until that point, Morton decided to stay in school for his final year of eligibility. Entering 2025, his role was very much set: he returned as Texas Tech’s No. 1 quarterback and one of the team’s leaders. He was once again voted captain and went on to start all 12 of the games he appeared in.
Morton started the season hot, completing almost 70% of his passes and throwing 11 touchdowns versus only one interception over the first three games. However, in Week 4 versus Utah, he struggled: not only did he throw two picks, he also fumbled the ball and exited the game in the third quarter due to a head injury.
He returned for the next two games, bouncing back from his lackluster performance against the Utes, but again was bitten by the injury bug in Week 7 versus Kansas. He suffered a hairline fracture in his right leg injury in the second quarter of that game, and had to sit out the next two contests because of the issue. He eventually returned in early November and led the Red Raiders on a five-game win streak that culminated in the Big 12 Championship.
Morton played some solid football during that stretch — 64.7% completions, 9 TDs, 1 INT — but also was not asked to do too much of the heavy lifting to carry the fourth-ranked team in the nation to the playoff tournament. Once there, his season and college career found an underwhelming end: Morton went 18-for-32 for 137 yards with no touchdowns and three turnovers in a CFP quarterfinal loss to Oregon.
Regardless of that game, Morton had another solid season and earned honorable All-Big 12 recognition for a third time in the last four years. However, his injury woes combined with his role and some uneven outings meant that he seemingly failed to boost his draft stock in any meaningful way in 2025.
2026 preview
Position: Third-string quarterback | Ability: Camp body/Practice squad candidate | Contract: Signed through 2029 (2030 UFA)
What will be his role? As mentioned above, Morton joined a team with a clear-cut quarterback hierarchy when he was drafted by the Patriots. With Drake Maye locked into the starter role and Tommy DeVito effectively guaranteed to serve as his backup, the rookie will spend spring and summer as the team’s QB3 with only limited prospects of climbing up the depth chart.
What is his growth potential? Morton has some limitations in terms of arm talent and overall athleticism that might cap his ceiling in the NFL. He also has plenty of shortcomings that very much are fixable, though, including his decision making, mechanics and play diagnosis. If he can improve in those areas, he could develop into a suitable second-string quarterback further down the line.
Does he have positional versatility? As evidenced by the fact that he averaged only 4.5 yards per rushing attempt over his two seasons as a starter — a solid number but one not indicative of a dual-threat player — Morton is not a particularly versatile quarterback. Yes, he has some versatility in his high school background, but he enters the NFL as a rather one-dimensional player at the position. That does not necessarily have to be a bad thing either, though.
What is his salary cap situation? Morton signed a standard four-year rookie contract shortly after joining the Patriots that is structured in a straight-forward fashion: it includes a non-guaranteed $885,000 base salary complemented by a fully-guaranteed $37,307 signing bonus proration. His resulting cap hit of $922,307 is not high enough to qualify for Top 51 status, meaning that only his signing bonus is counted against New England’s books during the offseason.
How safe is his roster spot? Despite hearing his name called in the draft, Morton is not guaranteed a spot on the Patriots’ roster. The chances of him beating out Tommy DeVito for the backup spot behind Drake Maye are slim, which means that the team might have to ask itself a fairly simple question come cutdown day: is a third quarterback more valuable than additional depth elsewhere on the 53-man roster?
Summary: Morton did look good during the only open practice of rookie minicamp, but one session alone does not make the case for a roster spot. He will get his opportunities to earn one, of course, but ultimately might not offer enough upside to be kept around on the active team. Instead, he seems like a prime practice squad candidate at this point in time.
What do you think about Behren Morton heading into the 2026 season? Will he be anything more than emergency depth at quarterback? Will he even make the roster? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
