Seahawks NFL Draft Profile: Zack Moss
Over the course of the next several weeks, the Seahawks and 31 other teams will be evaluating the latest crop of incoming talent in preparation for the 2020 NFL Draft.
Up next in our prospect profiles series, let's look at an underrated position of need for Seattle, the running back position. With a blend of power and patience, Utah's Zack Moss could be the perfect fit for the Seahawks in the mid rounds.
Strengths
The first thing that stands out about Moss is the violent way he runs. Always looking for contact and to finish runs through defenders, he certainly has that tool in his arsenal and excels at picking up yardage after contact. But perhaps his best trait is his balance. Moss runs with a wide base and low to the ground, allowing him to stay on his feet when met by a host of defenders while also allowing him to run through arm tackles and diving attempts.
Moss' violence and balance are met with good vision and patience. He has no issue waiting for his blocking to create a hole and can accelerate through that hole without issue. This vision and patience allow him to turn sure two-yard losses into minimal gains, an underrated skill that kept the Utes out of long "to go" situations.
Moss has acute awareness and knows when he needs to just hit the line of scrimmage and get what he can. But when he does get a push from his offensive line, he has a plan for how to attack the second level and can set up his blocks well on long runs.
Moss has what center Justin Britt affectionately calls "natural leverage" and is a near-exact prototypical size for a Seattle runner. At 5-foot-9, 223 pounds, Moss can be a nightmare to tackle thanks to this leverage and thickness. He is also a capable third-down back with good hands who constantly looks for work in blitz pickups as a pass protector.
A three-year starter, Moss was highly productive for the Utes, rushing for over 1,000 yards each of the past three seasons, including 1,416 rushing yards in 2019. He scored 41 career touchdowns and amassed 4,752 total scrimmage yards.
Weaknesses
One of the things that jumps out on tape when watching Moss is his lack of breakaway speed. He ran a 4.65 40-yard dash at the combine, though he claimed to have suffered a leg injury prior to that time and ran an electronically timed 4.52 at his private workout.
He isn't slow, but Moss is unlikely to break off big runs down the field without breaking multiple tackles along the way. He has good acceleration, but lacks the agility to make smooth cuts, making it difficult to maintain his speed off the cut.
Moss has, to use a scouting term, tight hips which can limit his ability to turn a corner quickly on outside runs. His game speed is only average, which limits his home run-hitting ability.
Moss' physical run style is always going to make teams worry about his long-term ability to stay healthy. He missed the final four games of 2018 after having surgery to repair his meniscus, giving teams more pause entering the draft.
Moss isn't the fluid athlete most general managers and scouts drool over in the backfield. That, combined with some questions about his health and durability, will likely cause him to fall outside of the first two rounds.
Where He Fits in Seattle
Moss checks a lot of the boxes the Seahawks look for. He has the ideal size and run style, his subtle elusiveness behind the line scrimmage is an added bonus, and his ability to play all three downs is huge. Moss also has experience in a zone-read run game, which should help him get work right away.
The need for the Seahawks to add running back depth and a potential replacement for Chris Carson has been well documented. Adding a power back like Moss should complement the power and slashing style of Rashaad Penny well if Carson does indeed move on after 2020.
It may sound like blasphemy, but there is a lot of Marshawn Lynch in Moss' game tape. Lynch was a bit faster and very few could ever match the physicality that he played the position with, but the running style is similar.
Both Moss and Lynch run with a wide, low base. They both make more subtle moves at the line than flashy, jump cuts. And they both look for contact often. They both show a desire to pick up blitzes and are adept as receivers.
It is unlikely we will ever see another back like Marshawn Lynch and saying that Moss will be just as good is utter nonsense. But there are definitely similarities between the two from a stylistic standpoint.
The simple truth is if Moss was .05 seconds faster on his 40-yard dash and made a handful more of the flashy plays teams love, he would be in the discussion in the top two rounds. In terms of "fit" for Seattle, Moss may only be behind Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor, but at a significant discount on draft weekend.
