Profiling Colts Wide Receiver/Kick Returner Kenneth Moore

Kenny Moore

Born:  February 19, 1985

Hometown:  Charlotte, NC

College:  Wake Forest University

Draft:  5th round, 136th overall – 2008 (Detroit Lions)

Height:  5 feet 11 inches

Weight:  192 lbs.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

College

Professional

Pre-Draft Measurables

40-Yard Dash:  4.51 seconds

3-Cone Drill:  7.09 seconds

20-Yard Shuttle:  4.30 seconds

Bench Press:  — reps

Vertical Jump:  28.0 inches

Broad Jump:  120.0 inches

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Breakdown

Kenny Moore is a two year starter out of Wake Forest, where he spent time as a wide receiver and as a running back.  Moore’s two years as a starter were very productive, with Moore racking up over 2,000 all-purpose yards.  During his senior year he was profiled by ESPN’s “Big Men on Campus” series (video shown below), and received universal praise from teammates and coaches for his unselfish nature and team first mentality.

Coming into the NFL draft, Moore ended up proving as a bit of an enigma.  The profile analysis done by different groups often said conflicting things, or had different interpretations.  For instance, Scouts, INC felt Moore had durability concerns due to a foot injury in 2004, and caught the ball poorly and too far away from his frame.  SI.com felt Moore was a fairly durable and multi-faceted threat who did very well catching the ball in stride and in space, catching it away from his frame, along with very good timing.  What could be agreed upon was that Kenny had a good nose for the ball, and ran successful short and medium range routes.  He was also universally praised for his vision and good utilization of blocks to gain yards-after-the-catch, while also making good transitions from receiving the ball to moving down field for positive yardage.  Moore got mixed reviews as a blocker, getting good marks for showing some talent as a blocker by making good reads, taking good angles, and an ability to sustain blocks, but his size (or lack there of) tended to allow him to get abused by larger corners and linebackers.

As a receiver, Kenny provides a random combination that has still not been covered by the myriad of Colts receivers.  Moore has the build of Anthony Gonzalez, the physicality of Pierre Garçon, the lithe and agile nature of Austin Collie, and the speed profile of Blair White.  At 5 feet 11 inches and 192 lbs, Moore has essentially the same build as 6’0, 193 lbs Gonzalez.  Moore’s reputation is akin to Pierre Garcon’s for being very physical and “smash mouth,” as they both have a habit of simply running over defenders who are in their way.  Moore’s style is also such that he often got a lot of praise for being able to find holes in the coverage like Austin Collie.  In terms of top speed, Moore compares to Blair White in that they don’t have particularly blazing speed, but have a respectable 40-yard dashes.  Like White, Moore is unlikely to blow by defenders over short distances but is capable of pulling away the longer he farther he has to run.

As a returner, Moore actually compares to Devin Moore.  In terms of measurables, both Moore’s had similar short shuttle and three-cone drill times, and when Devin’s biggest asset as a returner was in his ability to see the field and make lithe cuts to get free it stands to reason that Kenny will perform in a similar manner.  Devin had a faster 40-yard dash, but Devin was always one who built up speed as he ran, much the same as Kenny.  While Kenny may not be able to outrun a corner easily, if he breaks through coverage on returns, he should have enough built up speed to sustain him without being caught from behind easily.

In terms of what to expect from Kenny playing in place of Devin, the most plausible thing is to expect the same as Devin.  The blocking down field breaks down more often than it should, so Kenny probably won’t be breaking off 40 and 50 yard returns every other kick, but he should have the vision to at least get us past the 20 yard line on almost every return.  If he has some fortuitous blocking down-field, he can go the distance.  Kenny is not known for poor ball handling skills, so while no player is immune to fumbles or muffs, Kenny’s reliability should not be a regular concern when returning kicks.  Kenny is smart enough that he isn’t going to cost the Colts by getting pinned deep, but he doesn’t have the same “boom” quality that Devin did.