William Moore v. Victor Harris - YOU DECIDE 2009

One position on the Colts with an uncertain future is DB.  Marlin Jackson and Antoine Bethea are in contract years, one just one a Pro Bowl invitation while the other is coming off of a major knee injury.  As it is, we are all aware, the Colts cap is really tight and it is unlikely that both players will be retained.  If that is the case, it would seem that there is no sure-replacement on the team for Marlin Jackson at the starting CB position opposite Hayden.  Bullitt may be able to step in for Bethea, I'll leave that up to you to decide.  Still, if the right guys were available as early as the 2nd Round, it would be difficult (I believe) for Polian and Co. to pass them up.  Two guys that are potential 2nd Round selections in the upcoming draft are William Moore of Missouri and Victor Harris of Virginia Tech.  Take a closer look at these two players and decide; if both players were available with the 61st pick of the 2009 draft, who would you pick?

Williams Moore - S - Missouri

Photo
2008 Season Highlights
Draft Vignette
Combine Video

6'0", 221 lbs.
4.49 40 Yard Dash, 4.26 20 Yard Shuttle, 6.81 3-Cone Drill
37 Inch Vertical Leap, 16 Bench Reps

SENIOR SEASON STATS:
86 Tackles, 31 Assists, 6.5 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 INT, 6 PD, 1 QBH, 3 FF

INJURIES:
2005 - Missed 3 games early due to a severe hamstring injury.  Broke a bone in right foot, forced to miss the last 3 quarters of the Independence Bowl.
2008 - Suffered a torn labrum that left him out of much of camp leading up to the 2008 season.

ANALYSIS:

TFYDraft.com, MockingtheDraft.com

Strengths: Well-built athlete with a prototypical blend of size, speed and instincts.  Fast and agile enough to be a true centerfielder in coverage, as well as possessing the explosiveness to be an intimidating hitter over the middle.  Reliable open-field tackler -- has rare body control to break down in space and make the reliable tackle.  Reads the quarterback's eyes and can close on the ball.  Led the Big 12 and broke the school single-season record with eight interceptions in 2007.  Has a history of turning INTs into TDs, with four of his 11 career picks returned for scores.  Showed his toughness by playing through a torn labrum for much of the 2007 season.  Experienced at both safety positions.  Dynamic athlete who should improve as he gains more experience.

Possessing all the tools of a solid free safety, Moore is a highly coachable talent who still has some upside. After beginning his career as a cornerback, Moore has bulked up and became a talented safety. Moore is a physical player who likes to support against the run. Plays very fast and makes plays all around the field. Keeps an eye in the backfield which allows him to break quickly on the ball. Very strong. One of Missouri's team captains for his senior season.

You will see a lot of positive things when you look at William Moore's strength.  He is best in zone coverage, a plus for the Colts.  He would play a position similar to what Marlin Jackson played when he saw a lot of the field in 2006.  In fact, his play-style and upside is very similar to Jax, except that Moore weight 20 lbs. more than Marlin does.  He'll read QBs well on short throws, be active against the run, and make opponents hurt when he hits them a lot of the time.  Definitely a strong prospect for a Cover-2 team with potential to play at CB, Nickel, or SS.  Above he's mentioned as a Free Safety but I'm not sure he has the range and coverage ability to be relied upon as a deep cover player.

Weaknesses: Flashes explosiveness as a hitter, but is too inconsistent in this area.  Leads with his shoulder to create the sensational hit, but doesn't wrap up effectively.  Too often resorts to shoestring tackles that were effective at the college level, but could be high-stepped through by better athletes.  Dynamic athlete whose aggression and inexperience can get him in trouble while in coverage.  Willing to gamble and can be beaten over the top with an effective double-move.  Was not the same player in 2008 that flashed in 2007, prompting some concerns that he could be a bit of a one-year wonder.  Sat out spring drills recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum.

Moore is a gambling free safety who can make or break a secondary. He aggressively attacks the ball in the air. In 2007, that aggression made him one of the top defensive playmakers in the nation with eight interceptions. In 2008, however, he was routinely burned and only had one interception. Struggles when he has to play man coverage against a receiver. Bites hard on the double move. An undisciplined tackler. Leads into the ball carrier with his shoulder instead of wrapping up. Gets a lot of garbage tackles.

It is clear both from his film and the analysis of his weaknesses that Moore is not a cover-corner or cover-safety in the traditional sense of the word.  He's a short-zone player with Cato June-esque ball hawk skills and Marlin Jackson-esque skill in man-to-man coverage and hitting ability.  Almost large enough to be a LB but with the speed and agility to be a nickel or SS, Moore is ideal to be the 8th man in the box, which I like a lot because I think Sanders is far more effective playing in space.  It is likely that Moore would take over for Melvin Bullitt's role when Sanders is healthy and Bullitt plays a run defending, short-zone hawking assignment.

SENIOR BOWL PRACTICE RECAP - TFYDraft.com

Monday Practice Notes: Of all the prospects on the field, Moore might have had the worst day among his peers. In pass coverage drills he appeared stiff, lacked any type of lateral quickness, and spent most of his time as an added defender close to the line of scrimmage.

Tuesday Practice Notes: Moore looked awful from the get-go today. He struggled moving laterally and at one point was left lying on the ground after attempting to cover a receiver from the North squad.

Wednesday Practice Notes: It was another bad day for Moore.  While he didn't look as lost today in coverage versus what we saw yesterday he had teammates and Bengals coaches yelling at him for being out of position.  At one point Louis Delmas was screaming at Moore on the field to move out of the box- eventually the light went on and Moore took a few steps back.  As he came to the sidelines Bengals coaches converged on him and to discuss the situation.

Thursday Practice Notes: None.

Analysis:   It was an awful week for Moore- much to our dismay as this is a prospect we were high on coming into the week.  He was beaten like a drum in coverage drills and at times looked like he had never played the position before.  His backpedal was slow, his hips were stiff and he showed little awareness.  This is one instance where a player lost almost a full round based on his poor performance at the Senior Bowl. 

As his performance at the Senior Bowl indicates, Moore IS NOT a coverage guy.  I'm not surprised at all after watching film on Moore that the coaches would be frustrated with his "coverage drills."  His value is as a short-zone pass-run defender who is not asked to "get deep" to cover receivers as they go down the field.

ANOTHER SCOUTING REPORT - WalterFootball.com
AND ANOTHER - FFToolbox.com

Victor Harris - CB - Virginia Tech

Photo
2008 Season Highlights
Macho Highlights
100 Yard Punt Return
Draft Vignette
Combine Video

5'11", 198 lbs.
4.46 40 Yard Dash, 3.98 20 Yard Shuttle, 6.68 3-Cone Drill
34 Inch Vertical Jump, 13 Bench Reps

SENIOR SEASON STATS:
46 Tackles, 14 Assists, 3.5 TFL, 6 INT, 14 PDs, 2 FF, 1 FR - 2 TDs
4 KR, 60 Yards (15.0 Yds./Avg.)
25 PR, 233 Yards (9.3 Yds./Avg.)

INJURIES:
None listed.

ANALYSIS:

NFLDraftScout.com, TFYDraft.com

Strengths: Natural playmaker.  Versatile athlete with the skills to help at multiple positions.  Alert zone defender.  Reads the quarterback's eyes and closes quickly on the ball.  Reliable open-field tackler who flashes explosiveness as a hitter.  Willing to dirty his jersey against the run.  Good lateral agility to elude blockers and will come up aggressively in run support.  At least adequate hip flexibility and straight-line speed.  Natural hands for the interception.  Can track the ball over either shoulder.  Good leaping ability and times his leaps well.  Can highpoint passes and shows the strong hands to snatch passes out of the air.  Reliable hands as a returner.  Good vision and burst as a returner.

 Fundamentally sound cornerback rarely challenged by opposing quarterbacks. Quick pedaling in reverse, fluid turning his hips, and displays a good burst to the ball out of his plant. Shows a burst of closing speed, lays out or extends to defend the throw, and possesses good hands for the pick. Reads receivers eyes, and gets his head back around, and then locates the pass in the air. Occasionally lined up at receiver as a senior, and displays solid pass-catching skills.  Strong, gets off blocks and does a nice job defending the run.

Victor Harris is probably the most complete CB on the board for a team like the Colts.  He has exceptional ability to defend the pass and run in the short zone but the speed and hips to get deep in coverage as well.  He is a hard hitter and will have no problem separating receiver from the ball, forcing fumbles and breaking up passes.  He brings another important ability in his returning prowess, which would have a team like the Colts salivating.  In my eyes, he's the 2nd best CB in the draft for the Colts and would be a steal in the 2nd Round.  Unfortunately, I don't see him dropping that far.

Weaknesses: Might lack the hip flexibility and straight-line speed for man coverage.  Inconsistent press technique and lacks the burst to keep up with faster receivers if he misses his initial punch.  Likes to go for the intimidating hit and will occasionally fail to wrap up properly when dropping his shoulder into the ball carrier.  Plays a flashy, emotional game and can get carried away on the field, drawing penalties.

Bites on receivers moves and occasionally falls asleep. Lacks top-end speed and struggles staying downfield with opponents.

While Harris has his weaknesses, in that he can get himself in trouble with his aggressiveness and on-the-field ferocity, he is still a solid prospect for the Colts.  He brings all the Marlin Jackson does to the team with extras in his return ability, better ball skills and better deep coverage skills.  At 5'11, he's tall for most of our secondary and with his leaping ability he can make up for some height disadvantage against taller receivers.  You'll see him stay with Heyward-Bey stride-for-stride on one of the videos.

SENIOR BOWL PRACTICE RECAP - TFYDraft.com

Monday Practice Notes: The macho man of the regular season was not seen during this particular practice. Harris simply was not driving on the ball, and appeared late to almost every ball thrown into his coverage.

Tuesday Practice Notes: Harris was again disappointing.  He does not slow opponents up at the line and gave up a ton of underneath and crossing patterns all day.

Wednesday Practice Notes: It was an awful day for Harris.  Almost every pass thrown in his direction, during drills and in the scrimmage, resulted in a reception.  He's made no plays and looks like a free agent on the field. 

Thursday Practice Notes:   Did not stand out in practice at all.

Analysis:   It was a bad week for Harris.  He played soft in coverage and gave up a lot of underneath receptions.  He got beat deep and at times seemed to be going through the motions.  We expected more from him and now we expect his draft stock to drop.

What scares me away from Harris and potentially could make him available to the Colts in the late second is his performance in Senior Bowl practices.  One of his negatives, "can disappear" is given weight by his Senior Bowl performance.  That said, unless Senior Bowl practice is his sole evaluator, he'd be an excellent prospect for the Colts in the late second round who would like fill the nickel spot in our defense as a rookie (assuming he learns the defense quickly) and immediately would bring a much improved punt returning ability to the team.

ANOTHER SCOUTING REPORT - MockingtheDraft.com
AND ANOTHER - FFToolbox.com

COMPARISON:

With William Moore and Victor Harris you will see a lot of similarities and some striking differences.  Moore is a much larger player, outweighing Harris by more than 20 lbs. who's strengths are limited to short-zone coverage.  He is a hard hitter, can be disruptive in both the running and passing games, but who has had a history of getting injured and is a liability deep.  You could call him a defensive specialist as the 8th man in the box defender in the strong nickel sets.  Harris is more dynamic, in that he can not only be effective in the short-zone but also be put out at corner and do well covering deep, particularly as compared to Marlin Jackson now.  He can let his emotions get the best of him to make some mistakes on the field and can disappear at times from games, it seems, but is a solid versatile prospect who brings game-breaking ability as a punt returner.  Unfortunately, it is unlikely Harris will fall down the bottom of the 2nd Round.  Assuming both players are available (and are the only two players still on the board we'd consider), which player would you select with the 61st pick of the 2009 draft?

YOU DECIDE