Rahim Moore Scouting Report

Rahim Moore is widely considered the best safety prospect in the nation…and he is just a junior. Moore has been a starter for three years and has never missed a start. As a freshman he tallied 60 tackles and picked off three passes. He had his coming out party in 2009 and it started right from the beginning when he picked off three passes in the season opener. Moore went on to pick off a total of ten passes, the most in a single season by any player since 2003. He even ranked second in the nation in passes defended. For his superb season, Moore was named to just about every all-conference and all-American team.

The accolades continued heading into 2010. However, Moore would have a bigger challenge on his hands as the UCLA defense was decimated by graduation. Moore has become a leader on the field and through seven games ranks third on the team in tackles and has one of the team's three interceptions so far in the season. The absence of a consistent pass rush has certainly diminished Moore's effectiveness this year. He has even practiced some at the corner position due to a lack of other options.

Moore has enough size and strength to play safety in the NFL, but his ability to also play corner is not a bad thing. If things keep going as they are, Moore's stock will likely drop a little bit, but he will be good in preseason workouts and should sneak into the first round if he opts to go pro early.

3/15 Update: Moore's stock is holding pretty steady as a second round selection. He was fast and athletic at the NFL combine as everybody expected. The problem remains his inconsistent tackling. That is why many consider him a better corner than safety, but he may have trouble making that switch anyway. Making a switch to corner could take some time and probably more time than an NFL team is willing to take with a second round pick. Moore is still the best free safety in this draft class and should be taken in the second round.