Elijah Moore could be a sneaky good option for Giants in 2021 NFL draft
It’s no secret the New York Giants will be seeking to augment their receiving corps this offseason whether it be via free agency or through the NFL draft.
In free agency, the big prizes are Chicago’s Allen Robinson, Ju-Ju Smith Schuster of Pittsburgh, Detroit’s Kenny Golladay and Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin among others.
In the draft, LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase and Alabama’s dynamic duo of Devonta Smith and Jaylon Waddle are the big names certain to come off the board in the top half of the first round, as well as Florida tight end Kyle Pitts.
One name that is not being included in this with list is Elijah Moore of Ole Miss. He’s being glossed over, and there’s a team out there that will get a draft steal while the others clamor for those other players.
Highest-graded seasons by an SEC WR in the Playoff Era
1. DeVonta Smith ('20): 94.9
2. Amari Cooper ('14): 92.8
3. Elijah Moore ('20): 91.2
4. Ja'Marr Chase ('19): 91.1
5. Jaylen Waddle ('18): 89.7 pic.twitter.com/3CMaovvyJJ— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) March 2, 2021
Moore may be getting pushed to second — and third — rounds of mock drafts due to his size (5-foot-9, 185 pounds) and age (20), but his numbers and highlight reel are hard to ignore. Just read the first paragraph of his bio on the Ole Miss football website…
Earned first team consensus All-America accolades (Walter Camp, AFCA, Associated Press, Sporting News) after historic and shortened 2020 junior season … Played in and started eight games at wide receiver before elected to forgo the remaining games of his Rebel football career in order to begin preparation for the 2021 NFL Draft … Hauled in a school record 86 receptions for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns during his last season in a Rebel uniform … Led the country in receiving yards per game (149.1) and receptions per game (10.8) … His 1,193 receiving yards were the most ever by an SEC player through the first eight of the seasons.
That’s a mouthful, yet many draftniks still have Moore ranked as a Day 2, possibly early Day 3 selection. Tony Pauline of Pro football Network ranks Moore 65th overall on his draft board. That’s the first pick in the third round for all of you counting. Here’s a reel of some of Moore’s top plays from 2020:
The Giants did well with a kid named Elisha from Ole Miss in 2004. Maybe they can do the same with this Elijah kid. Everyone’s looking for the next Tyreek Hill. Could this be him? The Giants have the 11th pick in Round 1. That might be too early for Moore but No. 42 may not be and No. 76 could be too late.
If the Giants grab Pitts at No. 11 and Moore at No. 42, they will have a nice double bang with a long, athletic tight end and a shifty, productive, big-play wideout. With Ole Miss having a recent solid track record of producing NFL-quality receivers (D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown), there’s no reason for the Giants to shy away from Moore in the NFL draft this year.
