The Oakland Raiders may have gotten a steal in this year’s NFL Draft.
Fifth-round pick Denarius Moore was ranked as high as a third-round prospect on some draft boards according to Adam Caplan of FOXSports.com.
The rookie wide receiver out of Tennessee was highly respected coming into the draft and his slide was somewhat puzzling. Not a mystery, however, was the Raiders decision to once again draft speed.
Moore had a monster senior season with the Vols, catching 47 passes for 981 yards with nine touchdowns. His 20.9 yards per catch average was among the best in the nation.
Despite the big numbers in college, the odds of Moore being an impact player as a rookie are slim. However, he should get the opportunity to make a name for himself as time draws on.
Moore ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and a faster 4.39 during his Pro Day.
I get it that DHB has not really impressed since he was drafted, but I wouldn’t go so far as o count him out as a productive receiver to come. The man has a great work ethic and puts in the time to hone his gifts. And to say he has no talent as a receiver is simply disingenuous at best. I believe, based upon the sparks of brilliance he has managed to show – albeit small in number – and the Coach’s comments about his work and abilities, that DHB is going to turn into a reliable, and sometimes spectacular receiver … and this coming season could well be the time where his talents finally start to show. You’ve got to realize, this man entered this team at its lowest point and with so much uncertainty brewing around him. It had to have had a negative affect on his ability to play with any real degree of consistency, plus all the negativity around his low draft pick. The Raiders are now in a state of aggressively positive flow and DHB will not only benefit by it, I truly believe he’ll flourish in it. Time will tell …
We already have the next Cliff Branch in Jacoby Ford! Actually, when I look at YouTube film of Moore, the receiver he actually reminds me a lot of is none other than Mr Raider himself…Tim Brown. Moore has a very similar frame and catches the ball with his hands like Timmy. He also has some jukes after the catch to get that extra 5-10 yards. DHB sucks.
Besides Stephan this is the guy that I’m the most excited about. He has speed, good hands, and a natural ability to find the holes in the defense. He needs to run tighter routes and work on his blocking like any rookie. The only thing that could keep him from being a starter by week 10 is a big year from DHB or Moore gets hurt. This could be our new Cliff Branch.
Anything would be an upgrade over DHB!!! Lets get this guy on the field and see what he can do…