Skyy Moore - Western Michigan

Overview:

Strengths:

1. Quick Slants - Moore shoots like a cannon off of his first step after stuttering. This allows him to always have position, if not a full step on the defender when in press. He also hangs onto the ball well in traffic and can take big shots immediately after making the reception without dropping the pass. Any slant can be taken to the house.

2. Burst - His single step acceleration is incredible. He can cover a lot of ground from one step in any direction.

3. Run After Catch - He led the league in missed tackles forced in 2021 among wide receivers. Lower body strength, elusiveness, and physicality allow him to make the most of every touch.

Weaknesses:

1. Selling False Routes - For someone with such quick feet and great first step acceleration, Moore does not get as much separation as he should. His body language and stutters rarely rotate the defender's hips, who can then pivot rather quickly from a neutral or even favorable stance. Moore almost always gets separation after he does rotate the defender's hips, but it is less frequent than expected. This improved throughout the season, but was still inconsistent.

2. Blocking - His abysmal blocking technique combined with an inconsistent effort when getting in the way of a defender leads to an unreliable blocker on the field. Moore is strong for his size, so he could become a fine blocker with practice and technique.

3. Altering Route Moves - He is happy to do the same moves against the same looks play after play. Sometimes this will work against less experienced corners, but adjusting release, body language, and route breaks based on what the corner gives will be a game he will have to play at the next level.

Grade: Mid Second

Skyy Moore begins the next tier of receivers after the six most common first round prospects. He has flashed that he has all of the tools that he needs to become an excellent NFL wide receiver, but must first prove consistency in all areas before he can enter the same discussion as the more highly touted prospects.

Film:

Pittsburgh (09/18-2021): 11-124-1

Good power on single step cuts. Missed a block on screen attempt. Quick hop on many releases. Not gaining much separation from press. Split step verses press on almost every release unless going deep. Slight drop step frequently when not against press. Decent move to turn the defenders hips on touchdown play, but still did not get much separation. Excellent run after the catch in the late second quarter. Good stop-start acceleration, but did not showcase it as much this game. Would have been open deep down the sideline after failed line contact by the corner (seen below). Overall limited route tree this game, which is more on the coach than the player in this instance. Not a very good blocker with poor technique and barely slowing down defenders on most attempts. Fun and effective out route in the fourth quarter to get wide open from the slot. Quick feet, but moves were not really working against press. Performed much better from the slot overall.

Kent State (10/16/2021): 8-140-2

Excellent acceleration out of quick stutter. Decent blocking on one play, followed by awful blocking a couple of plays later. Hung onto the ball in traffic. Not getting as much separation in press. Good contested catch, but it would have been better to see him use his hands instead of his body. Frequent drop step. Excellent route break to turn the defender's hips. Much better at getting separation on mid-route moves than on his release against press. Great catch on poorly thrown screen and was able to still turn and run quickly after the reception. Separates reliably when he turns the defenders hips the wrong way. A couple more decent blocks.

Michigan (09/04/2021): 2-22-0

Hangs onto ball in traffic. Runs directly at defender before making moves instead of threatening any false routes with body language. This is seen frequently throughout his tape. Not getting much separation from press. Only significant reception came due to poor zone coverage. Poor blocking technique. Injured.

Northern Illinois (11/23/2021): 12-206-4

Solid after catch, but stays relatively high and is not overly shifty. Excellent comeback route. Used upper body to help get a step for a slant, which will be more difficult at the next level. Did exactly the same move and route again, which worked again. Good out route from the slot with an even better throw. Good block. Ran through contact on jet sweep. Great body language on corner route from the slot. Excellent route adjustment and afterburners on deep touchdown. Abrupt stop with perfect footwork (seen below). Very physical, weighing 195lbs at only 5'10.

Notes:

Moore had a mid-late third round grade until his Northern Illinois game boosted that up to a mid second. He flashed everything that was in question. His footwork, ability to separate in press, and success on all areas of the field were impressive. He is not currently performing at a mid second round level throughout his film, but his full potential can be seen throughout the Northern Illinois game.

Coverage:

Press

Overall inconsistent against press, but flashed elite route running occasionally (example seen below). Struggled on the majority of routes to gain meaningful separation, but the power off of his first step gives him immediate positioning. He lacks length, but can still be physical at the line. He will likely play more from the slot in his rookie year, but some footwork development may allow him to take some snaps outside against press down the road despite his size.

Jam Response (in Press)

Moore may not have the arm length, but he has the strength to prevent himself from getting bullied at the line.

Soft Press

Usually runs up to defender before stuttering while looking him directly in the eyes. Moore has quick feet, but does not always get separation. If he used his acceleration off of the line to threaten a route with speed instead of running directly at the defender before breaking, then he will turn a lot more hips before his breaks. He is fine overall against soft press due to lateral acceleration out of route breaks, but he could be so much better.

Squat

Squat is much more effective than it should be against Moore. He loves running straight at defenders, stuttering, then breaking off for his single designated cut. He is so sudden that this coverage type could be significantly less effective against him if he threatened a different route from the beginning with speed and body language instead of simply trying to mask his current route with neutral movements. If he turns the defenders hips before breaking, his incredible one step 90-degree cut would practically guarantee significant separation on every play.

Off

Excellent against off coverage due to his deceleration and playmaking abilities. He can stop on a dime, and turns to run quickly after the catch.

Inside Zone

While he excels from the slot, his ability to find the hole in a zone is lacking. He will make receptions over the middle, but they are generally met with immediate contact. Improving this part of his game will be crucial for NFL success.

Route Distance:

Behind LOS

Calling him a gadget guy would be an insult to his skillset, but he is excellent when utilized as one. His short area quickness is elite, but he will still need more reps before he can be considered in the same tier as the best NFL gadget superstars. While he has great burst, he can still improve his ability to misdirect.

0-5 yards

His quick slant is one of the best in the business. His quick feet always make him a threat to gain separation immediately, but he does not always maximize that potential due to inconsistent footwork.

5-10 yards

Moore has a full route tree from 5-10 yards out. He has success with out routes, digs, comebacks, and curls, but does not frequently run routes with more than one cut beyond two yards out. This is fine for 5-10 yards downfield, so polishing these to show that he can handle more complex routes should be a priority.

10-15 yards

He has a vast route tree 10-15 yards out as well. His linear routes are not as clean, but crossing quickly over the middle or abruptly towards the sideline are strengths of his.

15-20 yards

This is where his route tree becomes more limited. Most routes beyond 10-15 yards end up being deeper because they are simpler routes overall. His quick feet and burst would make him a big play threat on more complex routes, so it would not be surprising to see more sluggo routes and double moves in general from the slot in the NFL.

20+ yards

Top-end speed is not a primary strength of his, but he has his fair share of deep receptions. Go routes on the outside will not always work, but he should be able to get the occasional big play downfield from the slot.

Blocking:

Willingness

Not one of the most willing blockers on the field, but certainly will when necessary.

Technique

Moore is likely thinking that he needs to get in the way and extend his arms when blocking, and does not even do that reliably. There is little to no technique in his blocking, which could be a liability at the next level if he is asked to play from the slot. He is strong enough to overcome this deficiency and become a decent blocker with practice, but he is no where near a proficient blocker right now.

Attributes:

Attributes		Grade (/10)	Notes
Separation	Short	7	This could be significantly higher given his single step power. His slant is already deadly, and his RAC is among the best in class. If he can use this to explode off of the line and sell false routes with posturing and footwork, then this has the potential to be a 9+/10.
	Medium	8	There is not much nuance in his route running. Moore generally prefers to mask his route rather than sell any false routes. That said, his feet and cuts are extremely quick. He has the ability to get open on nearly every route if he puts more time into perfecting his footwork. If he does and the coach lets him start running more double moves, then this could easily jump up to a 9+/10 as well.
	Deep	6	The ability is there, but he was not asked to go deep often. There are flashes of him gaining separation both down the sideline and across the middle despite not possessing elite top-end speed. This comes more from raw traits than it does route running prowess. He has room to improve his deep route tree, but that will almost certainly never be his primary role at the next level.
Release	Stance	8	Frequent drop steps when against off coverage which slightly delays his release, but this lessened throughout the season. He also stands a little high at times, which shifts more weight to his back leg. His acceleration off of the line is incredible at times, but it can still be even better with some tweaking from a good wide receiver coach.
	Acceleration	9.5	Moore shoots out of a cannon. His single step power is one of his greatest strengths. His mechanics have some slight room to improve, but his legs are clearly very strong.
	Hip Control	9.5	Best hip control in class. This is yet another reason why he can gain so much power on a single step while changing direction. His deceleration is also fantastic, and he uses level changes to his advantage.
Hands	Catch Reliability	9	Not only does he have a 4.1% drop rate, but he can make difficult catches and hangs onto the ball in traffic.
Hands	Catch Radius	5	5'10 and does not appear to have long arms. He can extend to make tough receptions, but they are receptions most other receivers could have made easily due to their height and length. Contested Catch - For 5'10, Moore is quite good in contested catch situations. He is strong with sure hands, but still lacks the height and length to truly exceed in this area.
Versatility	Starting Position	9	Moore can start out wide, in the slot, or from the backfield, and have success at all three locations. The only reason that this is not a 10/10 is because he is a poor blocker and cannot line up in tight, and he has room to grow in each area of the field.
Versatility	Overall Skill Set	8	Again, this grade can be improved with some development in all areas. Moore will be an offensive weapon in any system, although he may be limited to the slot in his rookie year.
RAC	Athleticism	9	Skyy Moore is incredibly athletic. He is strong, elusive, and led the league with 26 missed tackles forced in 2021.
	Agility	9	The missed tackles forced were mostly due to shiftiness. His agility is as good as expected from an early round 5'10 prospect who projects to play primarily from the slot.
	Contact Balance	8.5	Outstretched arms will not take him down. This is 8.5/10 because there are some bigger guys who are better than Moore in this area, but he has great strength and balance overall.
Awareness	Sideline	8	Great sideline awareness. He is able to make difficult sideline catches down low and over his head with defenders in the area.
	Defensive Scheme	3	Rarely adapts route to take advantage of defensive scheme. He also makes similar looking route breaks regardless of coverage.
	Improvisation	4	It is difficult to improvise on broken plays when you have a run-happy quarterback. Not much improvisation seen on tape.

Full Report:

While Moore lined up on the outside frequently for Western Michigan, his routes were much cleaner from the slot. He has excellent quickness and efficiency from the slot, while he lacks the nuanced footwork to consistently gain separation against press. He also lead all collegiate receivers in missed tackles forced, proving his gadget capabilities as well as possessing short and intermediate route prowess. While elusive and athletic, he is certainly not limited to a gadget role. He should be able to prove his value in the passing game, and is one of the few prospects in this class who should be able to thrive regardless of scheme assuming that he takes a step forward. Aside from height, Moore has every trait desired in a wide receiver. He is strong, elusive, quick with his feet, physical, and has good hands. What he is lacking can mostly be taught. Nuance in running routes based on what the defense shows, footwork when changing direction, and even blocking technique can be taught. If Moore is a hard worker and willing learner, then he will be a steal if he falls beyond the mid second round. Skyy Moore has the potential to be one of the better receivers in this class, but currently is not in the same tier as London, Wilson, Olave, Dotson, Burks, or Williams. He flashed that he has the ability to outperform any of these receivers at any time, but has more work ahead of him as well. He almost certainly is never going to be an exclusive X receiver, but a good coach will move him around and allow him to receive different looks. He can be a weapon in any offense, but has much to prove at the next level.

NFL Projection:

Likely

Moore will likely be a slot receiver in the NFL. His skillset is conducive to the slot, and there is little reason to flex him elsewhere. If he succeeds, he will simply earn more playing time instead of transitioning to the outside.

Optimal

After playing for one year primarily from the slot, Moore proves that he can handle a more diverse role. He then becomes a high volume receiver who get targets across all areas of the field.

2022 NFL Draft: Wide Receiver Deep Dive - Skyy Moore