David Moore Discusses Journey from HBCU to the NFL
One of the biggest surprises of the 2021 NFL Draft that no one is talking about is seeing Grambling State offensive lineman David Moore going undrafted. After a solid week at the Reese's Senior Bowl, Moore was heavily thought of as an early day three pick. Some mock drafts had Moore going in the 4th or 5th round, some a little later on, but very few projected him to go undrafted.
According to HBCUGameday.com, this was the 9th time since 2000 that zero players from an HBCU were drafted. A big part of that has to do with the lack of national coverage that HBCU's receive during the football season as most of their games are not being televised and are oftentimes pushed to only local networks. This is how guys like Colts stud linebacker Darius Leonard fly under the radar and slip into the 2nd round back in 2018.
As far as talent is concerned, there's no shortage of it in HBCU football. It just has to be discovered. Following the 2021 draft, Moore signed as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers - a team that he impressed during the Senior Bowl. Last week, Moore talked about making it to the NFL from an HBCU.
"It’s been a long journey, you know it’s been a great experience. Just at Grambling State, just the tradition, the history. I didn’t really know much about HBCUs coming out of high school, so the offensive coordinator at the time, when I was at Grambling, came on a home visit to my school. He just started talking to me about the history of Grambling. And I’m like, ‘What is Grambling?’ He just started talking about Doug Williams and all the great legends and I became more intrigued. I went on a visit and I fell in love with Grambling right after that. For me, it brings great pride to be able to represent an HBCU at this platform just to show guys that they can find you. As long as you put the work in, anything can happen. So, I’m blessed.”
Prior to arriving at the Senior Bowl, Panthers offensive tackle Trent Scott told head coach Matt Rhule and the rest and the staff to watch for Moore, someone he played with at Grambling. Rhule paid a lot of attention to Moore and fell in love with what he saw.
“Before we went to the Senior Bowl, Trent Scott, he’s one of us," Rhule said. "He’s got the right mindset and work ethic - he’s just an awesome guy, and he said, ‘Hey coach, just keep an eye out for David Moore, he’s from Grambling.’ I put my stamp on him, he can play. And we got down there and he was, on our team, pretty much one of our favorite guys. He had a great attitude. This is a guy who went to the Senior Bowl but hadn’t played since the previous Thanksgiving, so had gone a year and two or three months without playing. At the end of the day, this is a performance-based business. Pat Meyer worked with him all week and said he can do it. He was available to us at the end. He has got a great personality, a great demeanor, and I think everyone who gets around him just gravitates to him.”
Trent Scott not only helped Moore get recognized by the Panthers coaching staff but now, he is able to help him learn how the Panthers' offense works and make the transition to the NFL a much smoother one.
“Yeah, that’s my brother, that’s my guy," Moore said. "He’s been a huge help throughout this whole process, just going through the draft process and then now playing for the Carolina Panthers. He has helped me with the playbook, just making sure I’m comfortable with everything, so he’s been a huge help and I’m grateful to have him in my corner.”
Getting to the NFL is such an accomplishment and one that not very many get to experience. On average, only 1.6% of college football players per year get a chance in the league and David Moore made the 1.6%. Moore talked about beginning his journey in the NFL and the surreal feeling that comes along with it.
“To be honest, I’m ecstatic. Everything hasn’t really hit me yet, but just to be here in front of you guys just brings a smile to my face. I worked with the Panthers down at the Senior Bowl. Really the whole organization, all the faculty members, like everybody was on me like everybody was cool, we had fun. I loved the experience with them. Trent, he was in the coach’s ear from what I was told at the Senior Bowl a lot, like ‘Watch out for my guy down at Grambling.’ They had an eye on me already so for me just to go out and just put on for, and make sure his word stood up. Everybody was just nice, just great people, so I’m just happy that I was able to land at a great organization."
After many expected Moore to be drafted, he instantly became one of the top undrafted free agents on the market. For him, it was an easy decision to sign with Carolina. It was an organization that he felt comfortable working with and knew what to expect and the standards that the team has.
“At the Senior Bowl they treated me like family throughout the whole week and I just had fun with the coaches and all the way down the line. That was great for me. Another bonus was that one of my former teammates, Trent Scott, both came from Grambling State. Just having him here in my corner, learning the plays, I can learn from him and learn from other vets. But it just made it more comfortable for me to pick this type of organization. Right now when it comes to competition and everything, just taking it day by day in rookie minicamp, just trying to make it through this right now. We’ll just worry about that when it gets there.”
Undrafted free agents are not guaranteed a spot on the 53-man roster and usually, only a couple of them actually make the cut. Fortunately for Moore, he seems to be in a good spot although we are a few months away from the start of training camp. The Panthers' offensive line was in disarray in 2020 and Moore has the ability to come in and make an impact right away.
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