With the 2021 NFL Draft on the horizon, Ole Miss wide receiver Elijah Moore makes for an interesting prospect to keep an eye on.
Like last year, the 2021 NFL Draft has a ton of talent, especially at wide receiver. The WR class is very deep and you can find talent deep in the 4thround of Dynasty Rookie Drafts in your fantasy football league. A name that has been getting more attention as time goes on is Elijah Moore.
Many have listed him in their Top-12 group of WRs in this class, but there is debate to the exact spot. He is most likely not going to be one of the first wide receivers taken but you definitely should keep an eye on him and his landing spot. Let’s take a deeper dive into the exciting slot receiver.
College: Rebounding from a Mistake
Imagine this. Down 7 points with under 10 seconds to go against your most hated rival. You catch a short pass and make a nice play to score the game tying TD and send the game to overtime.
This is what Moore accomplished until his celebration of imitating a bulldog urinating, causing a celebration penalty, which lead to the Rebels missing an extra point and losing the game. This play was seen by many, and opinions were all over the place regarding the penalty and celebration. For many college players this could overshadow their talent and play, causing them to go into a shell of themselves. Luckily for Moore, his excellent play in the 2020 season has put that story in the back of people’s minds and he is now moving up NFL Draft boards.
Coming out of high school, Moore was a 4-star Top-40 WR. He had offers from powerhouses like Auburn, Alabama, and Georgia per 247Sports. He ended up choosing Ole Miss and played immediately as a Freshman. His production increased every year in receptions, yards, avg yards per reception and TDs. Per PlayerProfiler, Moore was 91st in College Dominator and in the 96th percentile in target share. His final season was only 8 games because of Covid, but even with the shorter season he caught 86 passes for 1,193 yards and 8 TDs. If you project that for a whole season, that would have ended up being 129 receptions, 1,789 yards and double digit TDs.
Moore was overshadowed by Heisman winner DeVonta Smith in the SEC but he put up a great season as well. Although he was positioned outside more in his Junior year, Moore lined up in the slot on 90% of his snaps on the field his whole career per PFF_College. Even though Moore works primarily out of the slot, he received over 100 targets in his last two years. On a subpar team he was the focus and still produced big numbers. This was especially true in 2020 with 6 out of 8 games well over 100 yards receiving.
Fade Elijah Moore at your own risk🤫
✅93rd percentile Adjusted Production
✅Age 19 Breakout
✅Over 400 yards as a freshman playing w/DK & AJB.
✅3.85 Yards Per Route Run(+90th percentile)
✅Top 10 in missed tackles forced, deep yards, contested catches, and drop rate. pic.twitter.com/dxoMs0yhQe— Nathan Coleman (@JHawkChalk_) February 26, 2021
Lets look at the tape
Moore does not have elite speed but he is very fluid and elusive. In college, he ran vertical, short and intermediate routes, but short to intermediate was where he was at his best. In his final season, he only had 11 of his 86 catches over 20 yards down the field. When Moore did run deep routes, he showed a good ability to track the ball and complete catches, even with contact from tight coverage.
In his first year as coach, Kiffin deployed Moore in various ways and made sure to highlight his best traits. Moore was used a lot in Run Pass Options and also on push passes that are an extension of the running game. By putting Moore in motion, he would get free release and be able to convert short out routes for 1st downs or TDs in key situations.
Moore is a very good route runner and has good eye discipline. He knows when to flatten out routes to get separation from defenders to set up double moves. One of my favorite things I saw when watching his tape was Moore’s hands and ability to snatch the ball when it gets near him. Although he does not have a long frame for extension on catches, Moore makes good use of his speed to help make up for inaccurate passes. He has good burst and when in the open field he can stop and switch direction very quickly. This helps him turn defenders around and make huge plays after the catch.
A few 21 rookies by position that I just won’t budge on
QB Trey Lance
RB Michael Carter Jermar Jefferson Trey Sermon
WR Rashod Bateman Elijah Moore Jonathan Adams Jr.
TE Brevin Jordan Hunter Long
Who’s a few of your guys? pic.twitter.com/8NWTRzpzjG
— Joe O’Leary (@dynasty_devil) February 24, 2021
Fantasy Football Outlook
There are receivers in the NFL Draft that are going to be good no matter what team they are drafted by. I am not saying that Moore’s success is dependent on his landing spot, but he needs to go to a team that will maximize his skill. For example, I believe the Raiders have not used Ruggs correctly so far. Ruggs is good in the open field and not just for his ability to go deep down the field on go routes. Moore needs to get the ball in his hands in the open field and show off his elusiveness there. Slot receivers need to possess quickness and elusiveness, while also being able to run a varied route tree that keeps defenses off balance.
Moore will not be the number one receiver for a team so that limits how high he will go in fantasy football and NFL Drafts. But with the wide-open style of the NFL now, a team’s slot receiver is becoming more valuable and can put up huge numbers.
Some good landing spots for Moore would be the Packers, Texans, Jets or Titans. All these teams are in need of some help in the slot and already have talent on the outside at wide receiver. These teams could use 1st-round picks on other needs and wait on a wide receiver until the 2nd-round in the NFL Draft. For fantasy football purposes I can see Moore going as a mid 2nd-round guy in Dynasty Rookie Drafts. Even if his landing spot does not look perfect, Moore has all the tools to be a great fantasy football asset in the future.
Brandon Haye
Brandon grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a health insurance data analyst. He has no children, but two fur babies - Squirt and Brownie. He and his wife, Katie, spend their time playing poker and enjoying time with their pups. Brandon is a huge Michigan Wolverine and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. He at one time was in 77 fantasy leagues and loves the game of football. Brandon started writing for The Leauge Winners in 2021.