WR Rondale Moore – Purdue
Rondale Moore is a consensus late 1st round pick in dynasty rookie drafts, but should he be? History says no. In fact, it is a resounding no. My biggest concern with Moore is his size. He is “listed” at 5-foot-9 on Pro-Football-Reference, but he was measured at 5-foot-7 at the Senior Bowl. Here is the complete list of successful wide receivers 5-foot-7 and under since 2000:
Cole Beasley.
That’s it. That’s the entire list. And, even with the success Beasley has had in the NFL, would he be a 1st round rookie pick if we knew what type of receiver he would become? Probably not.
I know the argument for Moore is his overwhelming athleticism. That is definitely something to consider, however, there are more concerns than just his small stature. Moore has been plagued with “lower-body” injuries, including multiple hamstring issues and a knee injury. Hamstring injuries tend to be one of those nagging things that will crop up often in these speedy wide receivers, and since speed is his No. 1 asset, it puts a damper on my expectations for him at the Pro level.
And then there is his sample size. He has a total of 20 games under his belt at the college level, and 13 of those came in his rookie season. An injury in 2019 limited him to only four games, and in 2020 he opted out, only to opt back in to attempt to improve his draft stock. He ended up only playing three games in his final year. But wait, there is more…
Purdue is not known for producing great NFL receivers, in fact, they are not even known for producing good NFL receivers. Here is the list of Purdue wide receivers that have gone on to some level of success at the Pro level:
Mark Jackson.
That’s it. Jackson played nine years in the NFL, playing for both the Denver Broncos — who drafted him — and the New York Giants. While he had a decent NFL career, his fantasy numbers weren’t great. He never caught more than 58 passes in a season and had six or more TDs just twice.
Okay, let’s recap. There has been only one sub-5-foot-8 wide receiver since 2000 who has succeeded in the NFL. There has been only one Purdue wide receiver who has ever had some semblance of an NFL career. Moore only played a total of seven games in the last two seasons, and, to add insult to injury (no pun intended), he has dealt with a bunch of nagging leg injuries during his college tenure. Is this really a player you want to draft in the 1st round of your rookie drafts? Maybe you can catch lightening in a bottle, but I’d rather pass on him and deal with the consequences if he ends up bucking the trend.
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