Why Rondale Moore is a perfect fit with the Cardinals
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Rondale Moore, WR, Cardinals
What You Need to Know:
The Cardinals selected Moore with the 49th overall pick of this spring’s draft.
The Purdue product turned in 1 of the most impressive freshman seasons we’ve ever seen back in 2018. He posted a 114-1,258-12 receiving line, a 21-213-2 rushing line and served as the primary return man. Moore set a school record with 2,215 all-purpose yards and was named a consensus All-American.
Moore averaged 9.1 catches and 94 yards per game over the past 2 seasons.
The tape shows incredible burst, quickness and change-of-direction to create separation on routes and make plays after the catch. Moore also has RB-like vision on end arounds and jet sweeps.
The concerns:
Multiple hamstring injuries limited Moore to just 7 games over the past 2 seasons.
He measured just 5’7 at his Pro Day. There’s only been one 1,000-yard season by a WR 5’7 or shorter in NFL history.
Moore joins a Cardinals team entering year 3 with QB Kyler Murray and HC Kliff Kingsbury. They ranked 18th in pass attempts, 24th in yards and 25th in TDs in 2019 -- but climbed to 15th, 17th and 13th last year.
WR DeAndre Hopkins returns as the clear top option in the passing game.
But Arizona lost WR Larry Fitzgerald, who ranked 3rd on the team last year with 5.5 targets per game.
Moore will be competing for looks behind Hopkins with returnee Christian Kirk and free-agent addition A.J. Green. Neither guy was good last year. Kirk ranked 76th in yards per route run and Green 82nd among 87 WRs with 50+ targets.
Fitzgerald played 83% of his snaps in the slot last year. Moore played 88% of his snaps in the slot over 3 college seasons, making him a natural replacement for Fitz.
Draft Sharks Bottom Line:
If you can look past his height and hamstring problems, Moore is a super intriguing prospect. He turned in 1 of the best freshman seasons in college football history, remained productive when on the field the past 2 years and tested as an elite athlete.
He joins a Cardinals offense with plenty of target opportunity behind DeAndre Hopkins. Moore will need to battle for those looks with Christian Kirk and A.J. Green -- but neither of those guys was good last year.
Don’t be surprised if the rookie finishes 2nd on Arizona in targets this season. He’s a nice late-round bench stash.