5 Must-Know Things About Detroit Lions EDGE Derrick Moore

On Thursday, general manager Brad Holmes exercised patience and let the board fall to the Detroit Lions, selecting offensive tackle Blake Miller.

That was not the case on Friday, with Holmes identifying Michigan EDGE Derrick Moore as a player that the Lions needed to trade for, moving up six spots to take with the 44th overall pick.

Moore becomes the newest Lion, and unites with Aidan Hutchinson, another former Michigan EDGE. Here are five things to know about Moore.

Standout at Stacked High School

Moore shone during his time at Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore (Md.), being named Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year. That earned him a nod to the Under Armour All-America Game as the No. 20 player in the country.

During his time in high school, Moore was teammates with future Michigan Wolverine teammates Blake Corum, now with the Los Angeles Rams, and Jaishawn Barham, a NFL Draft hopeful that has been linked to Detroit during this cycle.

Bright Lights, Big Time Player

Moore is no stranger to the spotlight. The Michigan man has had some massive moments in his career, and has came up big during them. In the aforementioned Under Armour All-America Game, Moore was named MVP with a two sack performance.

He continued being a big game player in college, with his defining moment of his Michigan career being a game-ending tackle for loss against Jalen Milroe on fourth and goal in the 2023 Rose Bowl as the Wolverines would go on to win the National Championship.

Just missed pairing with Hutchinson

Moore entered the same offseason that Aidan Hutchinson wrapped up his storied collegiate career, with the freshman Moore enrolling in January as Hutchinson’s season closed in a loss to Georgia on December 31.

He revealed he did not get to meet Hutchinson, but he watched how the star produced and grew with the Lions, transitioning from a collegiate speed and finesse rusher to a professional power rusher. Moore also revealed he stole Hutchinson’s “show and go” move for his own toolbox.

Inspiration from Jared Verse

Derrick Moore is a 6-foot-4, 255 pound power rusher. At the NFL Combine, the All-Big Ten selection was asked who he modeled his game after. Despite the recent run of successful Michigan players in the NFL, along with the options of his hometown Ravens or local Lions, he had a different player to base his game on.

With some physical similarities, Moore draws inspiration from a recent first-round pick. At the Combine, he noted that he models his game after Los Angeles Ram Jared Verse.

“Going into my senior year, a guy I kind of watched more and more, and started thinking to myself, ‘we kind of look the same on the field,’ was Jared Verse,” Moore revealed. “He’s just a physical, physical player. He’s just dominant. He tries to be the most physical player on the field. I try to watch what he does, and do everything in the toolbox that he has.”

Basketball roots

Moore’s “first love” for a sport was not football. In fact, football was the third sport that the newest Lion loved. He loved basketball and wrestling first, but found himself too physical for the court. With Moore fouling out too often, he elected to pursue football where he was allowed to hit people.

His mother, Jakia Stewart, was skeptical of Moore’s love for basketball, after seeing how he liked the element of contact and physicality in both wrestling and football, as she told The Michigan Daily. A mother’s intuition was right, as Moore would elect to chase after the dream of football and never look back.

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