Dallas Cowboys Complete 7-Round Mock Draft V1.2: Prioritizing Needs
By Reid Hanson
I was worried I’d missed out on Moore when I selected Wynn in the 2nd. But the decision to go with Wynn first came down to who’s stock I think is going to soar this spring. I think his stature is going to hurt Moore because many will see him primarily as a slot man. Whereas Isaiah Wynn is going to move up because there are so few good linemen in this draft.
But about D.J. Moore…
First of all, I do not think Moore will be limited to the slot. He’s two inches shy of six feet, and if he had that inch or two no one would be questioning his ability to play the Z. So with that said, he’s 5’10” and 215 lbs but plays like a giant. The dude is built like a running back but has all of the skills of a receiver.
At Maryland he played the outside a lot so there’s tons of film to prove he can play outside in the NFL as well. He runs good crisp routes and breaks on his cuts quickly and fluidly. He explodes from a dead stop.
What jumped out was his ability to catch terrible balls on the slant. Dak Prescott isn’t known for his accuracy, making it imperative the Cowboys select someone with a large catch radius. Moore catches everything, and with his reaction time, reach, and leaping ability, off-target passes are not a problem.
Moore ran a lot of deep routes at Maryland as well. He’s not as fast as Christian Kirk but he can take the top off a defense. He wins battles for contested balls, makes back shoulder catches, and he tracks and adjusts with the best of them.
His strong build allows him to break tackles frequently, even against good tacklers using good technique. He’s a threat from anywhere. As more games get posted in draftbreakdown.com I’ll be sure to keep watching because Moore has caught my attention as a great Day 2 pick with NFL game-breaking ability.