Previously: Last year’s profiles. S Damani Dent, S/Nk Zeke Berry, S/HSP Keon Sabb, CB Myles Pollard, CB/Nk Kody Jones, CB Will Johnson, LB Deuce Spurlock, LB Jimmy Rolder, DE/LB Micah Pollard.

Baltimore, MD – 6'4”, 260
UCReport via Twitter		247: 6'4/250       4.50*	4*, 94, #94 overall #14 DL, #2 MD
		Rivals: 6'4/245       4.63*	4*, 6.0, #52 overall #7 DE, #2 MD
		ESPN: 6'4/250       4.85*	4*, 89, #2 East, #20 ovr #4 DE, #1 MD
		On3: 6'4/250       4.76*	4*, 97, #56 overall #9 DL, #2 MD
		Composite:       4.79*	4*, 0.9789, #49 overall #8 DL, #2 MD
		Other Suitors	Ole Miss, Okla (decommit)
		YMRMFSPA	Rashan Gary
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post by Alex Drain.
Notes	Consensus AA, UA Game MVP, MD PoY. Twitter. Early enrollee.
Film:
Senior Highlights: Hudl. Soph highlights. UA practice reps.

Winning solves a lot of problems. Despite running through the 2021 season with, respectively, the best and fastest-rising defensive ends in the country, and lots of playing time to offer once they both left for the 1st round, Michigan's edge recruiting was flagging. The productive Mario Eugenio was in the class, then out when they kept recruiting his position. Kevonte Henry was in the class, then out when Courtney Morgan left. The staff was in early on Joshua Josephs but lost him to Tennessee, and lost Beau Atkinson to North Carolina, and let Joseph Adedire drift off to Texas Tech in the process. Late in the cycle the Aidan Hutchinson-esque Ethan Burke was in, then Texas yanked him out.

But when you crush Ohio State 42-27, win the Big Ten, and go to the playoffs, suddenly you're in line for some opportunities that others don't get. For example, when Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for USC, and the Sooners' class started coming apart, Michigan was able to swiftly move in and extract one of its best defensive pieces.

It didn't hurt that this pièce de résistance played for Known Friend and Trusted Agent Biff Poggi, along with Blake Corum, Nikhai Hill-Green, and various other semi-pros to come through Poggi's national heavyweight St. Frances. He also turned out to be a greater coup than we all made of it; Moore obliterated the competition at the UA All-American game, was named MVP, and shot up to just outside the edge of 5-star territory.

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Acceleration: a component of force

Moore was a subject of an Overtime SZN episode last fall, which is worth watching in full:

…and wherein coach Pop Acker says "Imagine a guy built like a prototypical defensive lineman, but moves like a prototypical wide receiver."

The scouts aren't shy about what they like best from Moore; each sought different words for the rapidity with which he zooms. 24/7's East scout Brian Dohn kept coming back to speed in the summary:

Agile and athletic. … Chases plays down … Possesses closing speed. Is able to corral ball carriers in space. At his best when using speed. … Speed off edge is extremely disruptive. Has speed for backside pursuit."

And explained his thoughts around the time of Moore's commitment to the Sooners:

Moore is explosive, and he is fluid in his movements. He bends well and is quick. When he uncoils at the snap, he is able to stay low to win leverage battles. He has the flexibility to dip his shoulder and get around the edge, and the speed to beat an offensive tackle around the edge. He can feign outside and use his speed to go inside.

…but also suggested Moore needs another trick:

has to continue to work on his technique and developing move combinations. He is a gifted athlete who is a tough matchup because of his speed, but he relies heavily on it.

I would write this off as people watching too much sophomore film, but even Jim Harbaugh got in the act this spring:

“But yeah. [Moore] has to learn that the tackles do punch back. If you try to punch first, they take really good sets. So, they’re going to stick you. More times than not, they’re not going to whiff and miss, or get run over. They are fully developed football players. So you need counters, need that relentlessness that a guy like Aidan developed — didn’t know it until his second year.

“They’re  used to coming out of high school, ‘here I go — I’m by you.’ Once he gets that, learns that, I’m really confident he’s going to be stellar.”

Oklahoma beat writer Josh McCuiston also said the bend "the bend sticks out," praising the blend of speed to power, shoulder dip, hand use, and lateral agility, but like Dohn, thought more variety was needed:

At this point in his game he relies a lot on his impressive quickness and it will be intriguing to see how far he goes as he begins to figure out moves, counter moves, and just general refinement.

Notably, these takes were mostly based on sophomore film, since Moore didn't put out much film the 1.5 seasons (2020 was delayed till spring 2021) after.Some of them didn't mind: David Visser of Maven was like "speed, speed, and speed. He's blazing off the edge with great bend," and Rivals scout Ryan Wright took in UA week and saw "a relentless edge rusher using his speed and hands to get past high-profile offensive linemen."

Later takes saw more of a combination of moves, or in the case of On3's Charles Power and Tim Verghese, two of them:

• "Mainly played at defensive end and was at his best as a pure power rusher. He’s very strong and was able to convert speed to power." (Verghese, 1/3/2022)
• "Moore is at his best as a speed-to-power rusher." (Power, 1/14/22)
• "I think the big thing that stands out to me with him is just his ability to rush with speed and power." (Power, 1/27/22)
• "His speed to power as a pass rusher is really good and his strength is definitely getting low and just using his strength to kind of push offensive tackles back in the backfield". (Power, literally the next sentence).
• "Both [Buffalo Bills DE/DT Carlos Basham and Moore] win off the edge converting speed to power." (Verghese, 2/3/2022)

Mass: also a component of force

The 260-pound kid moving like a safety is hard to miss, but it's not like all the other pass rushing tools are missing. The first ellipsis in the Dohn quote above yada-yada-yada'd through some important rush qualities:

Shows excellent body control. Sinks hips and redistributes weight quickly. Fires off low and has twitch in getting up field. Wins leverage battle. Very good shoulder dip to gain edge. Has ability to redirect along line of scrimmage. Bends well and has flexibility throughout frame.

That was written in spring 2021, but even as a freshman, Dohn thought Moore was an "elite athlete with great explosion" and praised his energy, effort, and suddenness. After the UA game last January, Dohn chose Moore (over Walter Nolen) as his defensive player of the week:

consistent and played at a high level throughout the event. His get off was quick, he remained low, was explosive and he won leverage time and again. His hand speed showed during bag drills and his ability to use his hands to keep offensive lineman off him in practice and during the game made him difficult to block.

Chris Singletary thought Moore "was flexible in his alignment and torque, which gave him an advantage on the linemen. Using his hands well also showed that he had above average technique."

Adam Friedman of Rivals called Moore "physically imposing and strong," and was already praising Moore's hand technique in August 2020. By the end of the cycle Adam Gorney was handing out a Gorney Award for "Physical Prowess":

Moore continues to show he’s simply stronger than a lot of people trying to block him … pushed around people all season … relentless attitude and plays with a mean streak plus he’s much stronger than he looks … Throughout the practice week, Moore bull-rushed and used a strike to stun offensive linemen before beating them into the backfield.

This wasn't the only time Moore used a national event to catapult up the rankings 24/7's Brandon Huffman—"loved Moore off the edge … as he showed his quickness off the ball, ability to dip and get underneath his blocker and playing with leverage"—and Sam Spiegelman, who's Rivals national recruiting analyst, both fell in love at the Future 50 event last summer. Spiegelman:

STOCK UP: Rivals250 defensive end Derrick Moore has an explosive get-off and consistently grinds out second and third efforts. The motor is glaring and the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder is able to force pressure off the edge routinely.

On3's lead analyst Charles Power thought it was more of a Hutchinson combo:

“I think the big thing that stands out to me with him is just his ability to rush with power … his strength is definitely getting low and just using his strength to kind of push offensive tackles back in the backfield, kind of take that midline pass rushing path … He plays physical, he plays with a high-effort level.

Gerry Hamilton, also of On3, tried to use all the words, expressing "his first step get off is enhanced an athletic stance", "the ability to bend won reps against high-end tackles all week" and Moore's "hand strength was clearly evident," as well as his "fast twitch reactive athleticism off the edge." Tim Verghese thought Moore was "at his best as a pure power rusher" who was "able to stun some talented offensive linemen with his initial punch."

Mass times acceleration equals fools

Between St. Frances's schedule—they played who's who of the best teams in America, including talent factories like IMG, Aquinas, Good Counsel, and De La Salle—the elite camps he attended, and the UA practices and game, Moore got the better of most of the elite OL in his class. A short list of those who made it into Moore's scouting reports for getting owned:

• FL 4* Julian Armella (FSU) vs Aquinas
• Everyone at De La Salle
• Everyone at Good Counsel
• NJ (IMG)  4.5* Tyler Booker (Bama) at Top 50 camp and vs IMG
• TN (IMG) 4* Aliou Bah (Georgia) vs IMG
• PA 4* Drew Shelton (PSU) at UA practices
• TX 5* PJ Williams (Texas A&M) at UA game.

That last was proceeded Moore flagging down Denardesque Utah signee/former Michigan target Nate Johnson. I can't find a full copy but Moore was dominant against Concord De la Salle (Zeke Berry's team) when that game was broadcast on ESPN.

An object at rest tends to stay at rest unless disturbed by sufficient force

Oddly there wasn't very much about the guy who "carries 260 pounds like he's 240" as a run-stopper. Dohn credited him with "an ability to anchor at point of attack, disengage and locate ball carrier," and called him "a composed and sure tackler."

There was one exception. Moore rose 70 spots, nearly cracking the top-50, on Rivals' final re-rank of the cycle, at which point Adam Friedman waxed poetic about his favorite phase of his game:

Moore was outstanding this past season and proved he is one the best defensive end prospects in this class. He is great at the point of attack, shocking offensive linemen with his hands and showing the ability to disengage and get ball carrier to the ground. Moore can dominate offensive tackles with his combination of strength and technique. … plays low to the ground and uses leverage to his advantage when engaging with offensive linemen and when making tackles. He also does a good job of jarring the ball loose when hitting running backs and quarterbacks.

Mass has an inert force that pulls inward. To 3-tech?

The sizes listed might be underselling Moore's large-osity; he measured 6'5"/260 at the UA camp in Baltimore over a year ago. He also moved between edge and 3-tech for St. Frances and at UA. Naturally, the scouts all wonder, to varying degrees, if Moore could be terrorizing guards instead of lengthy tackles.

Michigan didn't seem to think length was an issue. Jansen, on his podcast with Harbaugh, spoke of "a great first step and explosion and long arms," to which Harbaugh quickly added “And strength,” he continued. “He has a really quick first step and second step. He can beat guys. Just … it will come. It will come."

Friedman seemed to think so, given Moore's frame, leverage and quickness off the line, and figured Michigan, who was using Mike Morris as an either/or last year, likes that kind of positional versatility. 24/7's Brandon Huffman agreed that Moore "showed explosion in his initial steps from both spots."

On3's Verghese, oddly since they have Moore ranked higher, thought if he moves inside, the reason is he doesn't have that Hutchinson-like length to fend off tackles, but more than adequate length to be a 3-4 DE.

Dohn disagreed, because Moore is "elite level athlete with an ideal frame":

Moore is impressive, and it begins with his build and frame. He has verified measurements with plus length. He has the frame to easily carry 270 pounds and remain a force as a defensive end.

He acknowledges, though Moore "has to continue to add strength throughout frame" that he could "bulk up and play 3-technique" but having seen the Holy Hutchinson, doesn't want him to:

I saw him play live, watched him practice live and saw him compete at a camp in May, and he is impressive athletically. He is agile and offers position versatility as a strong side defensive end who can also drop into coverage. He moves fluidly.

Nothing about that take changed when he spoke with Sam Webb after the UA practices:

“Well Sam, you and I have talked about him as a guy who has position versatility if you want to bulk him up and move him inside, but watching him here especially today, his second day, he’s low as get-off, he gets off quick, first few steps are electric. I have seen him practice, I have seen in games, and I have seen him in camps. I like to see more production within games. Some of that is just the scheme they run at St. Frances, but he’s a guy who has great length. He weighs 250, 260, but he really looks like a 230 kind of guy. His frame is just excellent, and he’s got length too. Watching him go through some of the one on ones or just the individual drills, the way he moves. Like Chris said with some of the guys, fluid, athletic, low, burst, so much and you really see that out here.”

EJ Holland sided with his new employers:

"Right now, Moore is a bit of a tweener. In one scenario, he could add weight and be an athletic three-technique. In another scenario, Michigan could keep him at around what he’s at right now and use him as an edge rusher. While he doesn’t have ideal length there, he is very comfortable getting after quarterbacks."

Most of the scouts offered their estimates for Moore's ultimate playing weight. 24/7's Ivins, like Dohn, suggested 270. On3's Hamilton thought he could reach 280. Verghese however noted that's wasn't Michigan's plan when recruiting him, at least according to Moore:

“I’m definitely trying to stay on the edge,” he said. “I’m more of a power rusher. I can switch it up, be a finesse [rusher]. SO I can pretty much do any and everything.”

Touch the Banner, who wasn't at all these camps, had to guess based on sophomore film and a smattering of junior and senior highlights.

I’ve been keeping an eye on Moore since he was offered in 2019, and while he looked like a true defensive end at that point, his body has morphed into one of those OLB/DE tweeners. He might end up being a little like current player Mike Morris, a guy who plays defensive end but also bumps down to the tackle position, though I think Moore is more athletic than Morris.

How soon can he be ready?

Moore should be closer to seeing the field than most of the guys in his class. For one, like Hunter Dickinson, Moore's at least a year older than most freshman, turning 20 next December. With access to St. Frances's facilities and training staff, not to mention the caliber of opponents they faced, his development ought to be more like that of a sophomore than a freshman. .

If the scouting sounds like a guy who still hast add weight and technique, remember that all but the UA stuff is now over a year old, much of it written before the spring half-season of his junior year, from a Baltimore UA camp that Moore barely competed in before rolling his ankle.

Even so, there's still a lot of growing to do. When Visser, back in June 2020, described a guy who was effective, but unconventional:

I'd compliment Moore's tackling ability, but he doesn't so much tackle as he does aggressively launch himself at opposing quarterbacks from afar. It's not the kind of thing you hold against him, since he's such an athletic specimen who commands the immediate attention of an offense.

…he was describing the sophomore film, but it could have applied to his senior tapes. Switching to the guys mostly talking to the coaches or staff, Steve Lorenz thought Moore might get his feet wet before busting out as a sophomore:

Moore's incredibly strong showing to finish his high school career at the Under Armour All-American game is actually reminiscent of Aidan Hutchinson, who dominated the Army game in 2018 and then saw the field quickly in Ann Arbor. There is some depth at defensive end but much of it is unproven; Moore could take advantage.

…while On3's Anthony Broome predicted a role like Ojabo's at the start of last season (situational pass-rusher) as Moore still has "a ways to go in developing physically." Alejandro Zuniga, now with 24/7, noted Moore "seems to be exceeding the hype he received as a recruit" in spring.

While we have to wait until fall to know if that was good hype of a guy they don't need yet or trying to get us excited over a position they're worried about. But we did get to see some of Moore in the spring game (I haven't finished charting that yet), and it wasn't half bad. For now, as we saw in that game, Moore is at OLB. Harbaugh spoke of "a position of need" after Hutch and Ojabo's departures, and one that we won't have to wait long to see again:

…my personal opinion is that he’s going to be a fabulous player. Probably will also be a really good player right away in the fall. He’s really gifted physically, it’s all there, another player who’s all there as a mid-year freshman. When he figures out how to play with the high, relentless, mid-play — you can still make a play, you don’t have to just come clean to make a play or get involved in a tackle or a sack … once he really learns how to play the game. And it’s really just learning the scheme and counter moves. Once he learns that, I think he’s going to be a beast out there on the edge.”

Oklahoma might have done us a favor

Moore's recruitment went national before he shut it down the first time. Lorenz admitted he had Moore on Michigan's early 2022 class list only because he goes to St. Frances. Penn State writers were writing their chances off as Ohio State, Alabama, Oklahoma, and LSU made their plays. As for the entitled of Ohio State, they were humble as ever.

Ed Orgeron had been recruiting Moore since he was a freshman. Tom Loy was convinced Moore was interested in "the whole package offered" at Notre Dame, while noting Mike Elston's pulled off upsets before. He chose Oklahoma over Ohio State, with PSU trailing.

All-American Game MVP History: Moore joins an impressive list.

• 2008: DaQuan Bowers, DE (Clemson)
• 2009: Matt Barkley, QB (USC)
• 2010: Dominique Easley, DT (Florida)
• 2011: Anthony Chickillo, DE (Miami)
• 2012: Jameis Winston, QB (FSU), and Tanner Mangum, QB (BYU)
• 2013: Reuben Foster, LB (Alabama)
• 2014: Sean White, QB (Auburn)
• 2015: Byron Cowart, DE (Auburn/Maryland)
• 2016: Rashan Gary, DE (Michigan)
• 2017: Jeff Thomas, WR (Miami)
• 2018: Maurice Washington, RB (Nebraska) and Joey Gatewood, QB (Auburn/UCF)
• 2019: Marcus Washington, WR (Texas/Nebraska) and Jerrion Ealy, RB (Ole Miss)
• 2020: Zach Evans, RB (TCU/Ole Miss)

For four. Moore dedicated his MVP performance at the UA game to his late teammate Aaron Wilson, who died of brain cancer in April 2021 at just 17.

Etc. Michigan has Poggi back on staff so they had to navigate the Partridge Rule; since Poggi didn't get to coach the 2020 season (St. Frances played a curtailed spring schedule after he left) he technically didn't coach Moore. UA MVPs get an electric scooter, which is delightful to anyone who remembers Wilton Speight driving his around Burns Park. Get this man some McClure's:

Moore, who was seen on the sidelines chugging pickle juice during TV timeouts in hopes of combating the 95 degree heat…

Why Rashan Gary? A guy almost DT-sized who moves like a wide receiver, was the MVP of the UA game, and relies, probably too much, on a speed-to-power rush move. This is pretty tight. I'm talking, of course, about the Rashan Gary we got, not the Suh that was promised. People still have a hangup about that, as if it was a bad thing that Michigan *only* got one of the most effective heavy ends of his generation then went 12th overall to play OLB at 6'5"/277. Gary had heavy hands, good but not ludicrous length, and left beancounters wanting more sacks while drawing more double-teams than Chase Winovich and finishing with the same scores to both this site and PFF. There's a reason people go nuts when they see a 270-pound guy moving like a skill position player. A++, would take that again.

If Moore moves inside it's probably in the same way they do it with Mike Morris or how the Ravens do it with the original Mike Morris, Chris Wormley. Or if you think those guys are a bit too heavy, Kwity Paye. These are all fine comps too, but none has Moore's speed, and "Wormley but fast" or "Morris but fast" or "Kwity but fast" or "Juaquin Feazell but fast" are all Rashan Gary.

SoonerScoop's Josh McCuiston comped Moore to Georgia/NYG's Azeez Ojulari (PFF be like: whoa!), while On3's director of scouting went heavy with a bigger, burstier, bendier, more athletic speed-to-power DE/3T Carlos Basham, recently of Wake Forest and the Bills. Dohn went with Danielle Hunter (PFF: also whoa!), whom I thought was more like Ojabo, but hey, I'll take the laddie!

Guru Reliability: High. There isn't a lot of senior film on his Hudl, sure, but most of these scouts were taking in big national St. Frances games.

Variance: Low. Already a year ahead of his class in age/development. Already played a bunch of D-1 talent. Already received college-level coaching in a college-like training program at St. Frances, which is a college-like experience with a collegiate-level academics program. Could grow into a 3-tech, but I count that part of the Mike Morris role.

Ceiling: Very high. Guy who could help immediately with room to grow into a a Hurst here, or a 280-pound speed-to-power hellbeast on the edge.

General Excitement Level: Very high-plus. Regular playoff contenders fill up on guys like this, who can contribute right away and are 25% to grow into a 1st rounder/All-American by Year 3. We can't get 20 more of him, but the one shouldn't be overlooked just because a long Oklahoma commitment got in the way of making it look like we stole Larry Johnson's next specimen (they'll be fine).

Moore is this year's Junior Colson, who fills a position of need with a body who probably shouldn't be called upon immediately, but will be, and should be awesome after a year or two. He's not as raw as Colson, and DE is an easier job, but learning the DT portions of that job offset it.

Projection: Sees the field in 12-13 games, with an increasing role as a 4-3 or passing downs specialist. After that he adds a little bulk and wins a starting job in 2023, doing the Morris thing where he can be a 4-3 OLB, 3-4 tackle, or 5-2 DE on any given down. Occasionally drops into coverage but that's not really his game. He makes an All-Big Ten run in 2024 that gets fewer sacks than the beancounters want, but appears in at least three PFF tweets as a guy producing on a down to down basis, and goes in the 2nd or 3rd round.