It’s no secret that with the departure of Dez Bryant, the wide receiver slot of the depth chart needs to be addressed. The Cowboys ranked 27th in the NFL last season for receiving (3,326 yards) and Bryant accounted for 838 of them. Luckily for the ‘Boys, there are some great options in this years draft, but most of them would require the Cowboys to use their first-round selection. One of those receivers is D.J. Moore, a product from the University of Maryland.

Already being compared to Odell Beckham Jr., Moore possesses the speed and quickness combined with exceptional hands and hunger for the big moments. He’s a Philadelphia native who made a name for himself in the Big 10 over his three seasons, and did it while catching passes from eight different quarterbacks. He was named Big Ten receiver of the year in 2017. While he wasn’t initially regarded as one of the top wide receivers in this years class, he had a very impressive draft combine. You can now find him along the names of Calvin Ridley and Courtland Sutton as potential first round selections.

			Receiving				Rushing
Year	Class	Games	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD	Att	Yards	Avg	TD
2015	Fresh	11	25	357	14.3	3	1	9	9.0	0
2916	Soph	13	41	637	15.5	6	11	55	5.0	0
2017	Jun	12	80	1033	12.9	8	5	61	12.2	1
Career		36	146	2027	13.9	17	17	125	7.4	1

Tremendous Upside

It’s easy to see the OBJ comparisons. You can line Moore up pretty much anywhere. Slot, in motion, out wide, backfield, and yes even in special teams as a returner. Each season with Maryland his numbers increased, resulting in a stellar junior season in 2017. He’s very elusive after the catch, as he seems to have more of a half back style of running, finding the holes in the defense and bouncing off tackles. He has a nose for the end zone as a good amount of his touchdowns were produced after the catch, breaking away for the scores. His draft combine (video below) was exceptional and really put him on the map as a highly touted receiver in this years draft. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds, fifth best among the receivers class. He had the top broad jump at 132 inches, the second highest vertical leap (39.5 inches) and was third best in the shuttle time.

Cause For Concern

If the Cowboys brass is truly looking for the Dez Bryant replacement, they may need to look elsewhere. At 6-0, he is not the guy to go up and get a jump ball throw like Bryant was so often in his time with the ‘Boys. While he appears to also be a good route runner, it’s been noted that he does have some issues getting separation from the secondary causing too much of a timing issue between himself and the quarterback.

Current NFL Player Comparisons

Odell Beckham Jr.

Golden Tate

Stefon Diggs

Verdict

After completing his junior year at Maryland and meeting with an advisory panel of NFL scouts that advised him he wasn’t ready to declare for the draft, he did the just the opposite and declared himself ready for the draft.

“From the league, I got the go back to school grade.”

He didn’t have the big hype that guys like Sutton and Ridley had throughout their college careers, so this doesn’t figure to be the first time he’s been doubted. Could the recent advisory panels viewpoint serve as additional motivation?

“Yeah. I just want to prove them wrong now.”