Steelers 2018 NFL Draft Prospect Watch: WR J’Mon Moore

With the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft in April, we examine a player that could possibly be a future Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, and one whose style resembles a well-known Steeler currently on the roster.

Player Description:

Name: J’Mon Moore

College: Mizzouri

Height: 6 ?3

Weight: 207 lbs

Combine Numbers:

40 yard: 4.6 seconds ( posted a 4.48 seconds during his Pro Day)

Bench Press: 21 reps

Vertical Jump: 38.0 inches

Broad Jump: 121 inches

3 Cone Drill: 6.56 seconds

Overview:

J’Mon Moore had the honor of being the first potential draft prospect the Steelers met with back in mid-January following a practice during the Senior Bowl. Though Missouri‘s offense proved to be lackluster this past season, Moore was undoubtedly one of their few bright spots. When looking at Moore’s career with Missouri, he was relatively unknown his first two years, but every so often flashed glimpses of potential. Moore’s breakout year came in his junior year in 2016. That season, he became only the 8th receiver in Tigers’ history to accumulate 1000 receiving yards. The 1012 receiving yards he posted that year currently ranks seventh all time in Missouri football history. He followed up a strong junior season with his second straight 1000-yard season in his senior year, where he accumulated 1082 yards. His accomplishment on the field resulted in an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl in January, and the only Missouri player to be invited to the NFL Combine earlier this month.

From viewing Moore on tape, it was clear how important he was to Missouri’s offense; a highly-productive receiver that used his size and length to his advantage. When it comes to physicality, there were very few receivers willing to engage the way he did. Many even made the comparison with standout Steelers rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for this reason. Moore is one of those receivers that has potential to be highly productive at the next level. His willingness to continue evolving and improving his areas of weakness will ultimately determine this.

Willing Blocker

Personally, I believe this is an aspect that is not given enough stock when evaluating receivers. Moore was one of the few receivers I’ve seen in this draft class that was willing to help his team in other ways than catching the ball. Moore’s technique as a blocker is more than adequate for a receiver; his hand positioning is good, keeps a strong base, and uses his legs to drive the opposing defensive back on his side. In this clip against UConn, note how he engages with the defensive back on his side, and uses his legs to drive him back. From what I viewed, he did this consistently which is useful for any offense schemes involving screen passes.

Limited Route Tree

If there is one major area of weakness, it would have to be this aspect. From all the film I viewed, Moore’s route tree consisted of mainly two routes; the comeback and inside slant. In certain games he played, opposing defenses were able to figure out that he was limited in routes; as a result, he became too predictable and defenses were able to shut him down at points. For a receiver of his size and speed, one would assume that he would be able to run Go routes effectively; to my disappointment, he was not nearly as effective in running deep routes as he was running short slant routes. One of the main reasons why Moore was not effective in deep routes, was because of his inability to establish a dominant position on defensive backs in press coverage. One noted weakness seen in his draft profile was his tendency to be crowded and eventually rendered ineffective when running deep routes.

Allows cornerbacks to crowd him against the sideline and force him out of bounds on his downfield routes

In the example shown from his game against West Virginia, Moore is paired one-on-one against a Mountaineers defensive back. The spacing is ideal when he began his route and as it unfolds, it appeared that he had him beat down the side. The problem in this case was his inability to create separation needed to not get crowded down the side. As the play continues, the Mountaineers’ defensive back has ideal positioning over Moore and is eventually able to guide him out of bounds. At the next level against bigger and stronger defensive backs, this needs to be fixed if he wants to become a deep threat.

Yards After The Catch

To me, this is Moore’s best attribute as a receiver. From the other receivers I studied in this draft class, few receivers were able to consistently accumulate yards after the catch as Moore did this past season; the only receiver likely better in this aspect is LSU receiver DJ Chark ( this was well demonstrated during the Senior Bowl ). One the reasons Moore is effective at this is his ability to catch and run fluidly. This may seem basic but it cannot be understated, as certain receivers tend to concentrating solely on making the catch, and some on just accumulating yards. For any NFL team looking for a slot receiver, in my estimation, Moore is the best slot receiver in this class with his ability to take inside or comeback routes, and turn them into big gains or even touchdowns.

Moore from my observation is the type of player that can either be very effective or very mediocre at the next level. I believe that if Moore is able to become a viable deep threat receiver, he can quickly become a well-known name at the next level. Since Moore’s last meeting with the Steelers in January, there haven’t been any reports of any other invites; however I do believe that he can still be a 5th round option if they are looking to add another physical receiver to the roster.