This Florida Gators defensive back has landed with a cornerstone NFL franchise.
The Florida Gators watched three of their players come off the board in the first two days of the NFL Draft, with defensive tackle Caleb Banks, center Jake Slaughter and offensive tackle Austin Barber all being selected.
Now, another Florida player has been chosen.
Cornerback Devin Moore has been taken by the Dallas Cowboys with the 114th overall selection of the draft, marking the second defensive back the Cowboys have taken. They nabbed Ohio State safety Caleb Downs back in Round 1.
But while Downs was viewed by many as one of the top players in this year's class, Moore was more of a sleeper.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound defender spent four years with the Gators and had some injury issues, but when healthy, he was one of the more underrated cornerbacks in the country.
Devin Moore. Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images.This past season, Moore registered 35 tackles, a couple of interceptions and three passes defended in 11 games, marking his most productive collegiate campaign.
Moore has elite size for his position and is very physical at the point of attack. He is also very smooth in coverage, compensating for his lack of top-end speed by covering tremendous ground thanks to his long legs.
The Naples, Fl. native ran a 4.50-second 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine and a 4.59 at his Pro Day, but it should be noted that he was recovering from groin surgery.
In reality, Moore is actually a very athletic defensive back who could develop into a very impressive player on the NFL level. It would not be the least bit surprising if he becomes a starter sooner than you may expect.
This is a pretty deep class for cornerbacks, so Moore's slide to Day 3 should not be viewed with too much of a side eye. Instead, he should be considered a potential steal who could significantly bolster the Cowboys' secondary.
We'll see if any other Gators players — like edge rusher Tyreak Sapp — come off the board on the final day of the draft here on Saturday.