2022 NFL Draft Profiles: How Could Skyy Moore Impact the Jaguars' Offense?
The 2022 NFL Draft season is upon us.
Among the 32 teams building their rosters to compete for the next Lombardi Trophy is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold 12 picks in this season’s draft -- including the No. 1 overall pick. The Jaguars are entering a new era after the Urban Meyer tenure, making this draft as pivotal as one could imagine.
As we march closer and closer to April’s draft, we will look at individual draft prospects and how they would potentially fit with the Jaguars. Instead of looking at any negatives, we are going to look at what the players do well and if they could match what the Jaguars need at the specific role or position.
In our next prospect breakdown, we take a look at Western Michigan wide receiver Skyy Moore, one of this year's most exciting slot receivers.
Overview
A 5-foot-10, 195-pound two-way athlete who spent time at both cornerback and quarterback in high school, Skyy Moore found his way on the offensive side of the ball at Western Michigan. But before then, 247Sports rated the Pittsburgh native as a three-star prospect, ranked No. 2,348 nationally in the 2019 class and No. 44 overall in Pennsylvania.
Moore had four offers out of high school, ultimately picking Western Michigan over offers from Howard, Rice and Robert Morris, helping give Western Michigan the third-ranked recruiting class in the MAC in 2019.
Moore was an instant impact for Western Michigan's offense after making a switch to wide receiver. He caught 51 passes for 802 yards (15.73 yards per catch) and three touchdowns as a true freshman, earning him First-Team All-MAC as he led all MAC freshmen in most receiving stats.
Moore's second season saw him play six games in the pandemic-shortened season, with Moore finishing the season with 25 catches for 388 yards (15.52 yards per catch) and three touchdowns. Finally in 2021, Moore led the Broncos' offense with 94 catches for 1,283 yards (13.6 yards per catch) and 10 touchdowns.
What Skyy Moore Does Well
When you think about a wide receiver winning in a phone booth, Sky Moore is one example that instantly comes to mind. For example, think of if the NFL was a game of flag football. If it was, receivers like Moore would likely be prioritized because he has terrific start-stop ability that gives him an advantage before and after the catch.
A classic slot receiver with less than ideal height and length but plenty of muscle and the type of foot quickness that makes him hard for defenders to track down in space, it isn't hard to project a role for Moore. Moore's quick-twitch ability is most evident after the catch, where Moore produced missed and broken tackles at a high rate. Moore is stronger than he looks and can bounce defenders off his lower body, while also getting separation out of breaks when defenders have their hands on his frame.
Moore displays terrific instincts with the ball in his hands, frequently setting up blocks downfield and outrunning angles by forcing defenders into poor tackling leverage. His ability to get yards after the catch makes him a threat on targets at or behind the line of scrimmage, while his quickness gives him the ability to win on slants, glance routes and other quick-breaking routes.
Moore's instincts translate to his route-running, too. He shows a second gear with the ball in the air that allows him to get deep separation, while he has displayed a solid understanding of leverage and zone coverages, finding soft spots in zone coverages with relative ease.
How Skyy Moore Would Fit With the Jaguars
The Jaguars were an offense that simply felt much too constricted in 2021 in terms of spacing. While some of it was due to poor design of the offense, other aspects of the often-times claustrophobic nature of the Jaguars' offense had to do with the receiver room's strengths and weaknesses. For the most part, there weren't many quick-twitch separators who could stop and turn on a dime to give Trevor Lawrence an open and free target.
That is obviously where Moore comes in considering his skill set and what seems to be his ideal NFL fit. While it may feel a bit unfair to label Moore as just a slot receiver, his quickness, limited catch radius and lack of success against press coverage suggests he is better off in the slot than on the boundary.
Luckily for Moore's fit with the Jaguars, a lightning-quick and agile slot receiver who can win after the catch and get open underneath and in the middle of the field is something the Jaguars don't currently have. The Jaguars need to add receivers of all types, shapes and sizes, and Moore's archetype falls into this category.
Moore would be a different type of slot receiver compared to Laviska Shenault, who is more of a big slot who wins with power, strength and size. Moore would be a more reliable separator and give the Jaguars an option with more juice in terms of speed and overall explosiveness, though they would need to fit him and Shenault together one way or the other.
Verdict
We need to see what kind of weapons the Jaguars do or don't add in free agency, but I ultimately think that Moore makes a lot of sense for a Jaguars offense that simply needs more talent and playmakers. I do think his slot-only designation and limited catch radius make him more of a candidate for the third-round than the second-round, however. In short, he is ultimately an electric weapon who the Jaguars would be lucky to add to their offense at No. 65 overall.
For all of our 2022 NFL Draft profiles, click below.
