Skyy Moore’s Second-Year Jump With KC Chiefs Is Inevitable
Looking back on the Kansas City Chiefs' 2022 NFL Draft, the selection of Skyy Moore may be the most controversial pick of the bunch. It’s not that Moore isn’t a good wide receiver or that he can’t turn into a solid pro player, but it was the first time that general manager Brett Veach traded down in a draft.
The Chiefs had the 50th pick but when their name was supposed to show up on the screen, it was the New England Patriots that were on the clock instead. The Chiefs were able to get back pick 54, just a few spots later, and pick 145. Three of the four players drafted between pick 50 and 53, before the Chiefs were able to use their new selection, were wide receivers.
Tyquan Thornton was selected by the Patriots, George Pickens was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Alec Pierce was taken by the Indianapolis Colts. Then it was the Chiefs' turn, and they selected Moore at 54. Whether it’s fair or not, Moore will likely always be compared to these other three receivers during his career and the pick will be examined under a microscope.
Coming out of college, there was high praise for Moore — especially in the analytics community. He was viewed as a smaller receiver, standing at just under 5-foot-10 and weighing 195 pounds, but he had incredible route-running skills, great run-after-the-catch ability and great hands. Moore only dropped three passes on 125 targets during his final collegiate season and had the largest hands of any wide receiver at the combine. His 26 broken tackles tied for most among eligible receivers as well. All of these stats led to him being the highest-graded wide receiver by Pro Football Focus in the 2022 draft class.
Even with all of this, things didn’t get off to a great start during Moore’s rookie year. During the first half of the season, Moore had six catches in eight games. Of those eight games, he didn’t get a catch in four of them and had zero targets in three. Things didn't go so well for him as a punt returner either, as he had multiple muffed punts in a loss to the Colts. The woes continued and Moore ended up being taken off punt return duties.
During the second half of the season, Moore was able to get more involved in the receiving game at times. He had back-to-back five-catch games to end the month of November, with his season high of 63 yards coming in a 30-27 win at the Los Angeles Chargers. There were still games down the stretch where Moore disappeared, having three outings in December and January where he didn’t record a catch. He finished the regular season with 22 catches for 250 yards and was held without a touchdown.
Moore was able to get some redemption in the postseason. In the AFC Championship Game, with wide receivers getting injured left and right, Moore was able to see an increased amount of playing time and was also tasked to field a season-defining punt return late. He hadn’t returned one since he muffed a punt against the Los Angeles Rams at the end of November. His key punt return against the Cincinnati Bengals put the Chiefs in position to kick a game-winning field goal in the final seconds of the game and get to the Super Bowl.
May 26, 2022; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore (24) runs drills during organized team activities at The University of Kansas Health System Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking of the Super Bowl, Moore was able to get his first career touchdown in a critical moment of the game. On a third-and-goal from the four-yard line, quarterback Patrick Mahomes found a wide-open Moore near the line of scrimmage on the opposite side of the field for a score, giving the Chiefs an eight-point fourth-quarter lead with less than 10 minutes to go. Moore’s touchdown was the final one the Chiefs scored.
Despite Moore’s lack of production during his rookie season, it leaves plenty of room for growth and production to come in year two. It was another offseason of turnover at the wide receiver position for the Chiefs, and he will have plenty of chances to see his role grow in 2023.
With JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman leaving town, Moore’s role could be more defined. He showcased his ability to be a jack-of-all-trades, lining up in the slot and out wide. The hope would be to see him in a key role at the wide receiver position and let the punt returns go to a teammate. Moore can be the type of player that works over the middle of the field, like Smith-Schuster. He also has the versatility to play around the line of scrimmage similarly to Hardman. It will be interesting to see if the coaching staff tries to put Moore in one role or have him move around instead.
The receiver room looks to be Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Moore, Justin Watson, rookie Rashee Rice and then three or four more players fighting for the final spot. Moore will have the chance to really make an impact in 2023. Taking the next step from 22 receptions to over 60 is a realistic goal. Adding 40-plus receptions could put him right there in the 700-800 yard range, which would help fill some of that void that Hardman and Smith-Schuster left behind.
The path is there for Moore to take a second-year jump. With a year under his belt full of postseason experience and added trust from Mahomes, it’s only a matter of time before Moore takes a big step forward.
