High School
Rondale Moore attended Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky. Moore was a dynamic player at a young age and carried Trinity High to two state championships. His senior season in 2017 Moore was invited to play in the US All American Bowl, was the Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year, and won the Paul Hornung Award for the top high school player in Kentucky. His senior season he broke a school record with 104 receptions, 1,461 yards, and 16 touchdowns. Moore committed to Texas in December of 2017 but later decommitted and decided to go to Purdue as a 4 star recruit.
College
Moore made his presence known in his first career game for Purdue as a freshman. He broke a school record racking up 313 all purpose yards. As a true freshman, Moore was voted Big Ten Freshman of the Year and had first team all-Big Ten Honors.
Rondale started his sophomore season hot with back-to-back 10-catch games for over 120 receiving yards in each game. Unfortunately, due to a hamstring injury, Moore only played 4 games total, finishing his season with 29 catches, 387 yards, and 2 scores.
Rondale Moore initially did not plan to play his junior season and announced in August that he was going to opt out due to COVID-19 and focus on the 2021 NFL Draft. Moore has since backtracked and opted back in to play out his junior season. Moore’s deciding factor in coming back to school was the Big Ten’s rules and protocols for COVID-19.
First Impression
When watching Rondale Moore the first thing that comes to mind is how dynamic he is. He can be lined up as a receiver or in the backfield, and he has been used on reverse plays/jet sweeps and kick/punt returns. Rondale runs some crisp routes and is very shifty and elusive, consistently racking up yards after the catch. He has great balance and is tough to tackle, frequently pinballing off defenders after the catch. Moore has outstanding footwork and elite speed, and his release off the line and lateral ability to change direction make him a very difficult receiver to cover. Any time the ball is in Moore’s hands, he is a threat to make a big play or score.
Overall Grade and Film Breakdown
Strengths
Rondale has many strengths, but his gameplay speed is most notable. He can absolutely fly and has routinely made big play after big play due to his speed. Moore is also like a human joystick in the open space. He is so shifty and elusive, always making people miss and racking up yards. His speed and elusiveness make him one of the most explosive playmakers in college football. Moore is also extremely versatile as he can line up all over the field and can be used in ways other than just a primary receiver. Moore is great at creating separation with his crisp route running and has excellent catching ability.
Weakness
At 5’9” and 175 pounds, Rondale Moore isn't built like your typical wide receiver. He won't be winning contested catches and he doesn’t have the wingspan to adjust to poorly-thrown balls out of reach. He’s strong for someone his size, but he doesn’t show a lot of effort blocking downfield. Moore also has struggled with some concentration drops, but that can be fixed moving forward.
Film/Scores
Physical/Strength: Moore isn't the most physical receiver and looks to make defenders miss instead of running through them. He was given an 81 physical score and 79 strength score. Rondale is excellent off the line and when in press coverage he can bully a defensive back out of his way.
Moore is in motion to create some space before the throw and catch. Once he catches the ball he does a great job manipulating the defender with speed before accelerating right past the first two guys near him. Rondale shows some great physicality and strength as he plows his way through the safety and then sprinting to the endzone.
Even though Moore was given a 79 strength score I wanted to throw this in for fun. Moore clearly doesn’t miss leg day and his 175 pound frame is squatting more than 3 times his body weight. That's a 600 pound squat!
Body Control/Balance: Moore was given an 87 score for body control and balance. He has elite balance after contact and can make some adjustments midair to make plays. When the ball is in his hands he’s tough to bring down, and he has the vision and balance of a running back.
In this play the defense is playing a zone coverage, Moore runs a crisp route and is left wide open for an easy catch. After the catch is where Moore makes some magic happen. He shows off that elite balance and body control, keeping his body upright and moving forward after dodging 4 defenders before being taken to the ground.
Route Running: Rondale Moore gets an 88 for a route running grade. He quickly gets off the line of scrimmage and is fantastic at the short and intermediate routes. He can run deep and more complex routes, but he isn’t asked to do much of that at Purdue. Moore’s routes are so crisp he makes the separation from defensive backs look easy.
Moore runs a simple slant route in this play. His release is great and he fools the corner by faking to the outside and cutting back in. Moore is wide open early on and picks up the first down.
Hands: Moore was given an 86 score for his hands, as he is not much of a body catcher and is always using his hands to make catches. Unfortunately Moore does have some concentration drops from time to time, but that can be fixed.
In this play, Moore finds the soft spot in zone coverage and makes a very nice grab. His body adjustment was most noticeable. He does a great job snatching the ball out of the air while adjusting.
Fantasy Outlook
Rondale Moore is undoubtedly one of the best receivers eligible for the 2021 NFL draft. After opting out and now opting back into the college football season, we will get to see him showcase his skills for one more season.
Moore has a very unique skillset and was used similarly in college to Deebo Samuel. He excels at the short intermediate routes and does the most damage after the catch. Moore possesses game-changing speed, and we can see shades of Tyreek Hill in his ability to return kicks and his threat to score on jet sweeps. He is a versatile player and should be locked in as a future 2021 first round pick in dynasty drafts and a late-round player in standard redrafts. Depending on where he is drafted, Rondale Moore should contribute to fantasy owners sooner rather than later.
