The trend continues for the Steelers of filling holes and filling those holes with someone they had known pre-draft contract with in Dan Moore Jr. The Steelers sent offensive coordinator Matt Canada and assistant offensive line coach Chris Morgan to the Aggies’ Pro Day. Moore was a team captain for the season opener, and attended the Senior Bowl.
Moore played in 44 games with 36 consecutive starts and earned second team All-SEC recognition in 2020. He fills a need to add depth behind the starting tackles, having experience at both tackle spots. He has the length (34.5″ arms) that the Steelers like.
Here is where he was ranked by some draft outlets.
The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah had him listed as his #139 player on his top 150.
Pro Football Focus had him listed at #285 on their big board.
Jordan Reid at The Draft Network shared his thoughts saying, “Dan Moore Jr. is a well-experienced player as he’s started in 36 of the 43 contests that he’s participated in — that includes 35 straight games. Possessing a top-heavy frame overall, he has the strength necessary in order to latch and sustain when getting his hands on cleanly to defenders, but must gain significant amounts of strength in his lower half. With long arms, adequate grip strength, and an average pass set, he has a solid foundation of traits to continue to build upon. He still needs seasoning in certain areas, but he already has a lot of the ingredients in the cupboard that are waiting to be put to good use. The intensity and awareness are evident as a run blocker, as he displays lots of willingness with sticking on assignments. With average foot speed, his pass sets will need to be tweaked some as he has troubles with ends that are able to quickly win the corner against him by attacking his outside hip. A favorable project for teams that employ a zone-based blocking scheme, Moore is a multi-year experiment that could pay off in the long run with a lot of patience while developing.” He finished by calling Moore a developmental tackle that will need time on the practice squad before potentially becoming a contributor.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com gave him a grade of 5.86 (backup/special teamer), had a sixth round projection on him, and summarized him by saying, “Three-year starter at left tackle against challenging SEC competition across from him. Moore held his own for an offensive line that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award (nation’s top OL) and he carries a well-proportioned build with good lean mass. He has adequate athletic ability to handle swing tackle duties, but plays with inconsistent hand strength and placement in both the run and passing games, causing him to lose control of the rep. He’s clearly shown improvement at his position and doesn’t have glaring athletic or physical weaknesses. However, he might not be a plus in any one category, which will make it difficult for him to become more than a solid backup.”
Kelvin Bryant did our report, giving him a fifth/sixth round grade, and had this to say, “Dan Moore Jr. has an intriguing skillset and body type that should allow him to be viewed as a rotational piece on an NFL roster. The above average athleticism, the ability to mirror speed rushers and plenty of game experience will have Moore’s name called at some point on Day 3 of the draft.”
Overall, based on the grades of the evaluators listed above, this pick has a low value grade. It would seem the overall theme of his evaluation would be that he needs some development before becoming a contributor. Although, Jeremiah did consider it a good value pick on the live broadcast. With the Steelers starters seemingly in place, he fills the backup role and will be given time to improve under the tutelage of the new offensive line coaches.
