With no free agency this offseason, and no real encouraging news on the NFL Lokcout front, the focus this past few months has been all things NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the majority of mock drafts published by media and fans end after just one round. But as we all know, there’s far more than just 32 intriguing prospects that are drafted each year, and if you’re like me, you want to learn more about some of the guys who will be taken in round two or later.
With ten days until round two of the NFL Draft, there’s still time to learn about the crop of prospects that you haven’t seen highlighted in the endless barrage of first round mocks. For starters, let’s take a look at the most recent two round mock posted by SB Nation to see who they pegged as a potential second round pick for the Dallas Cowboys.
40. Dallas Cowboys: Rahim Moore, FS, UCLA. He’s the best in a very weak safety class, but Moore has the range and ball skills that the Cowboys need.
Now, you might have seen Moore’s name this draft season as he’s widely considered to be the best talent in this year’s weak crop of safetys. Moore’s best traits are his ability to break on the ball, his soft hands, his closing speed on deep routes, and his durability. He didn’t miss a single game in his three years at UCLA, and he finished his collegiate career in Westwood with an impressive 14 interceptions, ten of which came during his sophomore season.
My biggest concern about Moore is his physicality at the NFL level. He’s not a poor tackler or someone who’s afraid of contact, but he’s definitely also not a big hitter. Bringing guys down in the open field in the NFL will be tougher for him, and really, no mistakes are acceptable at the pro level in terms of whiffing on tackles. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Moore begin his career by playing some nickel corner before seeing how he fares as the last line of defense at safety.
For more coverage leading up to next week’s NFL Draft, check out the latest 2011 NFL Mock Draft at SBNation.com and visit our blog, Mocking The Draft.