Skyy Moore still new to wide receiver, but may be what Cleveland Browns seek in NFL Draft

Editor's note: Skyy Moore was picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round (54th overall) of the NFL Draft on April 29.

Coach Tim Lester is accustomed to dictating conversations when he holds end-of-season exit meetings with his football players at Western Michigan University.

The experience with Skyy Moore was different, though. The wide receiver always led off.

“He's like, 'Yeah, I want to start. What do I need to work on? What's the one area you think I can improve on because I want to know?'” Lester said Monday in a phone interview with the Beacon Journal. “I tell him, he goes and works on it, and it gets done. He definitely takes an active role in his in his growth, and it's shown because he's still not even done.”

After Moore's freshman season, Lester told him he needed to work on preventing cornerbacks from jamming him near the line of scrimmage.

Done.

After Moore's sophomore season, Lester told him he needed to gain more yards after the catch and score long touchdowns.

Done.

Now with Moore projected to become a second-round pick in the April 28-30 NFL Draft, the greatest obstacle standing in the way of him reaching his potential at the next level, Lester said, is something he can't fix.

“I would just say height maybe,” Lester said of Moore, who measured 5-foot-9¾ and weighed 191 pounds March 16 at Western Michigan's pro day. “But he's got super long arms [74½-inch wingspan] and the biggest hands at the combine [10¼ inches]. He's got huge mitts. When he gets his hand on the ball, it's on, and he'll block. I think he just fits so well as multiple as offenses are getting.

“He's probably a natural slot, but because of his arms he can play outside, if you want him to, if you need him to. I think his height is just going to be a natural thing that people are going to knock him on, but I don't think he's going to have any issues.

“There's really nothing I don't think he can do, unless some coach has it in his head that he needs a 6-3 guy, and he's not going to be 6-3, although he'll play like it.”

Could Western Michigan's Skyy Moore fill the Cleveland Browns' void without Jarvis Landry?

The Browns released five-time Pro Bowl receiver Jarvis Landry last month in a cost-saving move. Landry is best known for his production out of the slot, but he can do plenty of damage on the outside, too. Perhaps Moore's ability to fill those roles intrigues General Manager Andrew Berry.

Either way, Lester is ultra-confident in Moore's ability to transition to the league because the former high school quarterback and cornerback has behaved like a no-nonsense professional from the time he stepped on campus.

One explanation is Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has rubbed off on Moore. At Shady Side Academy in suburban Pittsburgh, Moore threw passes to Tomlin's son, Dino, now a receiver at Boston College.

“One of his best friends is Mike Tomlin's son,” Lester said. “They played high school ball together, so he's kind of got that Mike Tomlin tough, like that same weird toughness, but everyone likes him. Not grumpy, but just business, and there aren't a lot of 18-year-olds that come in that way, at least when it comes to the work. They'll act like they're all business until it's time to like run and [work with] the strength coach.”

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Moore's attitude, approach and intelligence helped him excel at a new position in college.

Lester said Western Michigan recruited Moore, 21, as an athlete and had been preparing him to play cornerback until receiver Jayden Reed announced in late May 2019 he would leave the Broncos and transfer to Michigan State. Moore embraced a chance to fill a hole and, to Lester's surprise, he not only learned all three receiver positions, but he also didn't have any missed assignments, even though he had never previously played wideout.

Lester offered Moore a different jersey number to better fit his new position, but the player opted to stick with the No. 24 he had been given as a cornerback.

“That's so rare nowadays,” Lester said. “He, honest to God, doesn't care.”

Skyy Moore has thrived at WR despite being relatively new to the position

Moore still looked the part. He caught 51 passes for 802 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games, earning first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors as a freshman.

“I never caught a pass in high school,” Moore said last month at the NFL Scouting Combine. “It was all quarterback, all DB.

“I’m not a normal-looking receiver, I’d say. And I feel like my versatility and I feel like my IQ of the game, playing quarterback and understanding defenses, knowing the timing, spacing and angles, leverage, I feel like I’m pretty savvy.”

Moore caught 25 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns in five games during a pandemic-shortened 2020 season, making second-team All-MAC as a sophomore.

Moore caught 95 passes for 1,292 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games as a junior last season.

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In high school, Moore suffered a broken ankle twice, according to Dane Brugler's draft guide. At Western Michigan, he missed one game in 2020 and another in 2021 with soft-tissue injuries, Lester said.

“He probably could have played, but that was my decision a lot of times because he wants to go,” Lester added. “That would be the only argument we would ever get in is if I wouldn't let him go because I didn't want him to hurt, hurt something, where you're like, 'You're a little banged up, but you're extremely valuable to this team, and if you get hurt, [we're in trouble].'

“That's why I didn't have him punt return. ... I didn't want somebody when he fair caught it to go take a cheap shot on him.”

The Browns aren't scheduled to go on the clock until the second round (No. 44 overall) because they shipped their 2022 first-round pick (No. 13) and others to the Houston Texans on March 18 for controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson.

The Browns are not among the several teams that have hosted Moore on pre-draft visits, a league source said, but receiver and defensive line top their areas of need.

Another receiver from Western Michigan, Dee Eskridge, was drafted in the second round (No. 56 overall) last year by the Seattle Seahawks.

A business major who carried a 3.15 GPA in the fall, Moore said he has learned many lessons from Eskridge, and he'll obviously be able to use his former teammate as a resource while he makes the leap to the NFL.

Many draft analysts envision Moore's talents translating well to the sport's highest level.

In terms of Moore's on-field skill set, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah said he detects similarities to seven-time Pro Bowl receiver Antonio Brown.

"He's really dynamic and crisp," Jeremiah said of Moore during a conference call in late February.

According to ProFootballFocus.com's draft guide, Moore led all FBS receivers last season with 26 broken tackles.

"He's quicker than a hiccup," Jeremiah said. "Just puts guys in a blender. Just really fun to watch."

Growing up a Steelers fan, Moore spent plenty of time watching Brown.

"No matter what you say about AB," Moore said, "you can’t take away the work he puts into the game."

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Lester said Moore is always seeking advice and feedback about how to improve, making him an ideal pupil. An example of his impressive rise in recent years can be found in his official combine time of 4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Lester revealed Moore had posted a time of 4.7 or 4.8 seconds when the Broncos first timed him as a freshman.

“He is A-plus character, integrity, worker,” Lester added. “Everyone likes him because there's nothing he lacks. He's not too loud, but he's also not too quiet. He's fun to be around. He's very intelligent when it comes to it's time to go to work, take this seriously, and then sitting around the locker room BS-ing, he was like the leader. Everyone followed him.

“When you watch him play, everyone wants to be like him. So if you want him to have the success he's had, then work like him. I feel extremely confident in his success rate at the next level because he's acted like that since he got here. That's just who he is. His DNA naturally fits that mentality.

“[His ego] doesn't need to be stroked. You can push his buttons. You can get on him. He'll respond. You don't have to get him to push through pain. He'll do it. He's not going to be trying to get out of practice. In fact, if anything, you need to pull him back, not kick him in the ass. Those are the best kinds of guys to have.”

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Which NFL Draft picks do the Cleveland Browns have?

After the blockbuster move for Watson, the Browns have the following seven selections in the 2022 draft:

Second round, 44th overall

Third round, 78th overall

Third round, 99th overall

Fourth round,118th overall

Sixth round, 202nd overall from Dallas

Seventh round, 223rd overall from Detroit

Seventh round, 246th overall from Buffalo

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Skyy Moore could give Browns what they seek in NFL Draft