Carolina Panthers draft D.J. Moore: Instant grade and analysis
The Carolina Panthers selected D.J. Moore with the 24th-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Here’s all you need to know about Moore, including our grade.
Strengths
Moore’s best athletic trait is his quickness. He has shown the ability to separate from defenders when he needs to, and can quickly get past press coverage. After beating defenders at the line of scrimmage, he still has the speed to remain a solid deep threat.
However, his biggest strength is after he catches the ball. Once he gets the ball in his hands, he is slippery and difficult to bring down. When catching balls on slants or bubble screens, he will always have the potential to breakout for a long gain. If he is used as a one trick pony to do this alone, he won’t be able to maximize the potential he has and teams will be able to focus on what he is going to do.
Then, there is the case of what he did for his team in college. He took on the majority of the receiving load, allowing him to amass over 1,000 yards last season. He was loved by his teammates and coaches, who made him a team captain. He will continue this good behavior in the NFL, and won’t have off field issues to worry about.
Weaknesses
Route running is a concern. He doesn’t run the sharpest routes and NFL corners will be able to stay on top of him if he doesn’t change this. Moore needs to begin to explode out of routes so that he can use his quickness to separate from corners better. Since he wasn’t a great route runner, the Maryland coaching staff didn’t really ask him to. He had a very simple route tree through college, and it isn’t clear how he will adjust to having to run more complicated routes in the NFL.
The other reason he needs to separate more is that he doesn’t win too many 50/50 balls when they are just thrown up to him. This will hinder his red zone production. He may not end up being a big touchdown guy, but Moore will be better suited to help move the team down there.
Grade
Grade: A-
Carolina needed a wide receiver, and it came out with the first one off the board. The Panthers can now slot Moore into the starting lineup, allowing Torrey Smith to go into a reduced role. It’s a win all the way around.