Each week this offseason, we’ll be focusing on one position and how the Panthers may choose to address their needs; whether they’re in the market for an upgrade at starter or just a reliable backup, every player on the 53-man roster is going to be important in 2018.
This is Wide Receiver Week.
Devin Funchess emerged as one of the better wideouts in the NFL after the Kelvin Benjamin trade last season from a statistical perspective, especially when healthy; after the last few games were undone by a shoulder injury, he will likely enter the 2018 season with a chance to establish himself as a legitimate star receiver. However, Funchess will be entering the final year of his contract, and while Samuel and Byrd both flashed in 2017, their seasons were both cut short with injury and enter 2018 as somewhat unknown quantities. While receiver is likely a couple of steps removed from the Panthers’ to-do list this draft season, it is not out of the question that the front office looks to add a receiver they believe can develop into a #1 receiver in the NFL, and of the players who might be around when the Panthers pick, nobody stands a better chance of being that guy than Maryland’s DJ Moore.
The Potential
Moore’s appeal is as much about what he might become as it is about what he already is, and the following play exemplifies almost all of what has NFL scouts and fans so excited.
Here, Moore shows both vertical speed and an ability to make smooth yet sharp high-speed cuts through the route; the defender doesn’t have a chance as Moore is able to easily separate for the touchdown. At 5’10 and around 210 lbs, Moore might not fit the archetype of an elite receiver prospect, not setting the combine alight with his raw speed, but the sheer violence of this route suggests at the potential to be a nightmare matchup for NFL corners.
The Positives
As well as his athletic potential, there are lots of things to like about Moore’s game, most notably his hands and ability after the catch. While, as with almost every receiver prospect, there are a small number of drops on tape, Moore generally shows very good hands, not relying on body or arm catches but instead showing a consistent ability to make catches away from his frame, such as on the following plays:
He also shows an ability to make catches in traffic and track the ball downfield. Maryland had a number of injuries at quarterback this past season and Moore was often forced to make significant adjustments on deep balls throughout the season, but showed good coordination and timing to come down with the ball on a reasonably consistent basis:
While he is unlikely to be used extensively on fades in the NFL, this ability to compete for the ball in the air is valuable at the NFL level. He might not make a name for himself based entirely on his hands, but he shows all the requisite skills for teams to have little concerns in this area.
While receivers shouldn’t be drafted based on their ability after the catch, Moore’s ability to pick up yards from the catch is impressive; once again, this adds to his potential value as an NFL prospect. As a runner in the open field, he shows an elusiveness that has drawn comparisons to Saints’ rookie Alvin Kamara; while the tackling in the NFL will likely be better, the ability to add yards to completions or to be a threat in the screen game just further adds to Moore’s value:
He also shows an ability to use his power as well as his elusiveness in the open field. He might not play with the same aggression, but the ability to take a hit from the safety, bounce off and keep on running is reminiscent of a play Panthers’ great Steve Smith made against the Bears back in 2011.
Moore probably won’t be trucking NFL safeties left and right, but there aren’t many receivers in this year’s draft class who pose a similar threat after the catch.
The Question Mark(s)
There is a lot to like about Moore, but there are areas where he will need to develop further if he wishes to have consistent success in the NFL. Like many college receivers, Moore didn’t experience a huge amount of press coverage and wasn’t asked to run a complete NFL route tree, so it should be no surprise that these are the areas where Moore is most inconsistent. Against press in particular, he had real issues at times, and improving in this area will be extremely important.
On the play above, he does show that he can be effective in this area, attacking the frame of the defender and then breaking outside to create separation. However, all too often he fails to do this, and looks to simply sidestep the defender; if he can attack the head of the route more consistently and in so doing, force the defender to hesitate, then he will likely be able have more consistent success in this area, as he all too often allows the defender to carry far too much momentum out of press, such as on the play below:
As a route runner there is again a lot to be hopeful about, with the only real criticism being consistency. As shown on the first play of this article, Moore has the ability to be an extremely dangerous route runner, but all too often he seems to be running at half speed and relies on his athleticism and hands to come up with receptions. Given the limitations experienced by Maryland’s offense this season, this is somewhat understandable, but he will need to be far more consistently aggressive as a route runner at the next level.
What is encouraging is the intelligence he shows as a route runner, even on simply zone-beating routes, he seems to show an understanding of where the gaps are in the zone, leading to easy completions such as the following:
He also shows an understanding of how to use route running to create separation, even if he is frustratingly inconsistent in this area. On each of the following plays, Moore does well to attack the head of the route, hesitates to freeze the defender, and makes his break to generate maximum separation.
While Moore needs to be consistent with how he runs his routes, the potential to be effective is definitely there. Often college receivers round off their routes in an attempt to maintain momentum, which allows the defender to do likewise, but carefully timed hesitations in routes can used extremely effectively to gain an advantage. On the following play, Moore hesitates slightly as if he is going to break inside before taking off down the field. This is something that Michael Thomas used to great effect at Ohio State; while the concept is very simple, the timing and head fake is crucial in getting the defender to bite:
He also has the ability to use his vertical speed to create separation underneath. On both of the following plays, the defender respects his speed enough to turn his back to run down the field, allowing Moore to break back to the ball for the reception.
As can be seen from all these examples, Moore flashes a lot of route-running ability on tape, but the frustration is that they are flashes of ability, rather than a consistent demonstration. If he is able to improve against press and show more consistency and violence as a route runner, he has every chance of emerging as a star receiver in the NFL, and where teams look to draft him will likely depend heavily on how likely he is to develop in these areas. For the Panthers, it would be a surprise to see him be the target at 24, but as the draft goes on it will be harder and harder to ignore his potential.
NFL Best Case Scenario: Golden Tate
NFL Worst Case Scenario: Antwuan Goodley
One Sentence To Tell Your Friends: “If he can improve against press and show more consistency as a route runner then he can be a star, otherwise he could end up as a frustrating case of wasted potential.”
Grade: B
