FS, William Moore, Missouri

Pros: Athletic, physical, fast, sure hands and an ability to take it to the house (4TDs in 10INTs).

Cons: Almost too aggressive in coverage, must prove he is not a one year wonder after a senior season decidedly less stellar than his breakout Junior campaign.

Styg's Broncos Fit:  Very athletic and physical, Moore's biggest question is whether he was a one-year-wonder. Despite having great range, he was brought up to the line a lot and took a pounding that will require his shoulder to check out medically before the draft. However, this does give him great experience with blitzing, and he times his moves well. A tough player, he played through a couple of injuries as a Junior and Senior. He is a solid tackler and has terrific lower-body strength that allows him to deliver a fair amount of pop in his hits. He has shown tremendous playmaking ability in the past with a knack for finding the ball, but recent poor showings have scouts wondering if a position switch to LB isn't in his best interests. Inexplicably, he doesn't seem to be able to backpedal anymore, and I have no clue why that is, whether unnamed injury or adding unneeded bulk, but it is an intriguing point that will get attention at the combine.

Around MHR:

From:  Your Earliest Broncos Draft Preview

William Moore, S, Missouri

Fantastic cover safety.  He can play either saftey postion in the pros.  Had 7 INTs his junior year and then had 83 tackles this year.  Can really do it all, but lacking the amazing upside of Mays.

                                                                                       ~Seth Grandpa

From:  excellent long comment on Safety situation as it applies to the Broncos in the draft.

...It’s hardly bleak, but it doesn’t look as good for finding a Safety in the early going (other than William Moore, who’s dropped some and might be a slight stretch at #12)....

                                                                                        ~Colinski

SBNation Says:

SBNation Missouri Tigers Blog, Rock M Nation, notes that Moore was brought on the safety blitz a lot at Mizzou, and that coverage without him was bound to suffer:

 Leaving aside the obvious concerns with the secondary and focusing purely on blitzing...I'm still baffled by why it hasn't worked this year.  I think the main reason is that we decided to send Willy Mo a lot this year, and that resulted in a lot of problems because a) that's not Moore's strong suit, and b) with Moore out of the defensive backfield, it didn't take opposing QBs as long to find an open receiver.  I don't believe we sent Moore on many blitzes over the last few weeks of the season...but who were we sending?

A side effect of this was the number of nicks and bruises Moore suffered over the course of his senior year.

From Scouting Report at Mocking the Draft:

Moore is the case of a player who may have been best served coming out following his junior year when he looked like a top-15 pick. His stock plummeted after playing injured during a senior season in which his deficiencies were showcased. However, he still has great potential due to his ability to play the run and pass equally well. With good coaching, Moore could be a solid starter in the pros.

Highlights

Scouting Reports and Offsite Links:

• Durability is a concern...Questionable instincts...Can be slow to read and react...Misses too many tackles...Too aggressive at times...Lacks fluid hips...Speed is merely average...Will struggle to match up with wideouts in man coverage...Needs to face the action...Lets emotions gets the best of him ... Might be more effective  if he lost a little weight.  [see more...]
• The biggest attribute that Moore possesses is his ability to be very physical.  If you are going to play in the NFL you have to be very physical and Moore will be able to do this.  Not only is Moore well adept at defending against the pass he is also tough against the run which is very important for an NFL safety to be able to do as well.  Not only is he very physical but his size is very good for the position.  At 6’2” 230 he has the ideal size desired for a player at his position and he is able to use his size to intimidate other players and bring on the hard hits and Moore isn’t afraid to deliver a hard hit.  [see more...]
• Moore provides some versatility, but I believe he will make his mark in the NFL as a strong safety ... He is a great playmaker and should instantly earn playing time in the league ... Solid first-round pick with the potential to go in the top 10.  [see more...]
• Moore is very well-built for a safety. His 6-1, 230 pound frame is ready and able to deliver a bit hit at any time and he will come up and help out the front seven in run defense. As his eight interceptions would prove, he is no slouch in pass coverage either. His versatility and all-around skills do not fall short in many areas.  [see more...]
• William Moore jumped into the national scouting radar with a huge 8 pick and 117 tackle season in 2007 as a junior and entered 2008 as one of the top safety prospects in the draft. With the decision of Taylor Mays to return to school, Moore looked like the easy #1 safety prospect. However, after viewing his tape, there are big concerns. Moore is going to be a liability against the pass and isn't the dominate tackler or hitter in the run game you would prefer. He is probably going to be drafted higher than he should in the draft and really needs to find a scheme that can use his overall athleticism and willingness versus the run.  [see more...]