Chad Ford's first 2011 NBA mock draft came a day after Michigan basketball's Darius Morris announced he was officially going pro. Morris' stock was on the rise with news of some great workouts, and Ford put him in the first round. Ford had the Houston Rockets selecting Morris with the 23rd overall pick, which was much higher than where Morris was predicted to go in other mock drafts.
↵Fast forward to Ford's latest mock draft, which came out Tuesday night, and Morris is out of the first round. Ford now has Morris in the "Next Five In" category, indicating that he just barely missed out on being a first-round pick. Other players in this category are Nolan Smith, Trey Thompkins, Travis Leslie and JaJuan Johnson.
↵When Morris decided to go pro, the general consensus was he would be a fringe first-round pick. That is still the belief for most, actually. If the stars align Morris could be a first-round pick, but in all likelihood he will be an early second-rounder. That is why so many thought he should stay another year at Michigan and improve his status. Instead he left Ann Arbor and now will have to hope to sneak into the first round.