Cardinals Select Purdue WR Rondale Moore in Second Round
On the heels of the Arizona Cardinals selecting Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft on Thursday night, the franchise opted to take Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore with their No. 49 selection in Round 2 on Friday.
Cardinals general manager Steve Keim and head coach Kliff Kingsbury emphasized that Collins was drafted to play MIKE linebacker alongside 2020 first-round inside linebacker draft pick Isaiah Simmons.
The expectations for Collins is a quicker learning curve to the NFL and expedited playing time during the 2021 season. As for Moore, who measured at 5-foot-7, he joins a room that features DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk and A.J. Green as the focal points. While the impending retirement decision of veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is still unknown, Moore is tabbed as a speedster who is in a mold similar to Andy Isabella.
According to ESPN's Next Gen Stats, Moore ranked top-three among wide receivers in the 2021 draft class in the 40-yard dash (4.33 seconds), vertical jump (42.5-inches) and three-cone drill (6.68 seconds), resulting in a 92 athleticism score. Since 2011, Moore has the third-highest athleticism score among all wideouts measuring under 5-foot-9.
"Moore is an undersized slot receiver with excellent burst and rare top-end speed. He makes defenders miss and has the second gear to pull away when he gets the ball in space. He averaged 10.1 yards per carry in 2018. He's more of a threat after the catch, but he tracks the ball well and makes some plays downfield. He's an above-average route runner who has the burst to separate from man and settles into pockets working against zone looks. He's a hands catcher, but he's a small target who drops some balls. He's tough over the middle and after the catch." -- ESPN
Last season for the Boilermakers, Moore posted 35 catches for 270 receiving yards in three games played. This, after he won the Paul Hornung Award as a true freshman in 2018 as the nation's most versatile college football player. Moore led the FBS with 114 receptions, tied for eighth with 12 receiving touchdowns and also contributed as a rusher (21 carries, 213 yards, 10.1 yards per carry, two touchdowns), kick returner (33 returns, 662 yards, 20.1 average) and punt returner (12 returns, 62 yards, 5.2 average) in 13 games (10 starts). He was a consensus first-team All-American as an all-purpose player, first-team all-conference pick, the Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year and its Freshman of the Year.
The 49th pick was the only one the Cardinals possess on Day 2, unless a trade is made later in the afternoon. If no deal is made, Arizona will wait 111 picks until the fifth round on Saturday. The Cardinals sent their third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for All-Pro center Rodney Hudson and their fourth-round pick to Houston as part of the DeAndre Hopkins trade package in March of 2020.
Arizona also picks 223rd, 243rd and 247th.
