Projecting Rookie CB Riley Moss' Role on Broncos' Defense
Former Iowa cornerback Riley Moss was arguably the 'safest' player the Denver Broncos selected in the 2023 NFL draft. A smooth athlete with sticky coverage ability and a versatile skill set, Moss figures to be one of those players that sticks around for a long time as a special teams player and as a rotational piece for Denver's secondary.
The Broncos had Moss as a priority player on their board, opting to trade back into the third round to take him while also sending a future third-rounder in the package. His ability to contest catches down the field with his incredible athletic profile and experience are enticing for any defensive front.
But how about Moss' fit in Denver?
Examining the Scheme Fit
With new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph in tow, the Broncos are most likely going to feature a high-pressure defense that gets after the quarterback at will and disrupts the timing of the play with press coverage in the secondary. You’ll see a lot of single-high safety looks like Cover 1 and Cover 3, with the outside cornerbacks locking up the receiver in front of them in man coverage or riding the rails on the outside in zone.
This is where things get kind of tricky with Moss, who rarely (if ever) played in press coverage in his time at Iowa. The Hawkeyes play a very similar defense to the one that former Broncos coaches Vic Fangio and Ejiro Evero play in terms of the coverage scheme, opting for more double-high safety looks in Cover 2, Cover 4, and Cover 6. Iowa also didn’t send pressure packages nearly as often as Joseph will, and didn’t force its cornerbacks to play on an island in press coverage.
Moss would have been a perfect fit for what Fangio and Evero liked to do on defense, but his fit in the Joseph scheme is a little bit wonky. This isn’t to say that Moss can’t be a great player for this style of defense; it’s just that we haven’t seen a large enough sample size for there to be trust in his ability to do so.
Press coverage requires great physicality and hand placement, incredibly fluid hips to turn and run with your opponent, and the ability to stop and start with ease and explosiveness. Moss has the athletic traits and tools to succeed in that aspect, but we haven't seen his hand placement and physicality within the requisite five yards that you are allowed to jam a receiver off of the line of scrimmage.
Positional Versatility
Moss was primarily deployed as a boundary cornerback at Iowa, but there were times he played in the slot and as a safety, where many draft pundits thought his best position could be at the NFL level. Part of that was his ability to diagnose what was going on in front of him, react, and make a play on the ball, as well as questions raised about his ability to play in press coverage.
For Denver, Moss will likely start on the boundary to see if he can handle the competition level, then work his way inside and eventually to the back end of the secondary if he can’t catch on quickly enough. He has shown the ability to play all over the defensive secondary, which was another reason that the Broncos chose to trade up and make him a priority in the draft.
Moss can do it all, and despite not having a large number of reps as a slot or as a safety, he played well when asked to do so
Where he Fits
Given the questions about Moss playing in press coverage and his ability to click and close on the football, Moss may actually be best in the Joseph defense as a slot cornerback or as a safety. Moss has elite change-of-direction ability, as perfectly shown by his 6.60-second 3-cone drill at the Iowa pro day.
He also has elite burst with a 1.48 10-yard split, which is in the 92nd percentile of all cornerbacks. Athletically, Moss has the athletic ability to become a great player in the slot.
This also plays perfectly into the lack of experience in playing in press coverage. As a slot cornerback, you are nearly always playing against receivers who are playing off of the line of scrimmage while also working from a bit of a distance yourself.
Naturally, Moss will be playing in open space, reading the receiver as he enters his route stem and being able to use his incredible lower half athleticism to react and drive to the football.
Rookie Year Role
This is where things get interesting because Moss will likely be utilized in several different aspects. First and foremost, he will likely battle it out with second-year cornerback Damarri Mathis for a starting position opposite Patrick Surtain II.
Mathis improved dramatically down the stretch of last season after a horrible start to the year. Mathis had a five-penalty night against the Los Angeles Chargers early in the season after Ron Darby went down with an injury, but showed out to play incredibly well considering he was a rookie.
That’s in the past now, and the NFL is a 'what have you done for me lately' type of league. Mathis has his work cut out for him, but projecting a second rookie in a row to crack the starting lineup is a fool’s errand.
As for the slot, the Broncos are returning 32-year-old K’Waun Williams, who is widely considered one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league. With age and some injury concerns stemming from his broken hand last season, Williams could be utilized in a rotational role, with Moss taking some snaps away from him in the slot.
There will also most certainly be a key special teams role for Moss, who was a standout player for the Hawkeyes in that aspect.
The Takeaway
Moss may not see the field a ton in his rookie season on the defensive side of the football, but he could eventually turn into a high-quality player as a starting cornerback. The potential is there for Moss to eventually take away the starting role from Williams or Mathis, and if he can acclimate to a new and uncomfortable defensive scheme, that transition could take place as early as 2023.
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