When the Raiders jumped up from 48 to 43 to take Trevon Moehrig, it was roundly considered a fantastic pick and one of the biggest steals in the draft. When you read what scouts had to say about him ahead of the draft, you will probably feel even stronger about that assertion.
“I don’t remember the last safety that could both tackle and cover,” one scout told Bob McGinn of The Athletic. “That conference (Big 12) probably is the best passing conference in football, and he was really good. He covered the slot most of the time. There are very few safeties that can actually cover. I’d try him at corner just to see if he could play out there.”
The junior safety received the most points (91) from scouts in terms of being the best at his position. Of 20 scouts polled, 15 voted him number one. While Patrick Surtain II received the most points (87) at cornerback with 12 first-place votes.
McGinn’s general takeaway from what scouts were saying about Moehrig was that he has no major weaknesses in his games.
“He’s the only safety that I think can possibly go in the first round,” an NFC scout said. “He has a real good skill set other than short arms. He can get the ball. He has (cornerback) feet. He’s not a killer, but he can get people down in space. Good football player.”
A couple of other scouts liked Moehrig a lot but were not as hot on him as some.
“I didn’t see special, but I saw a lot of good,” said a third scout. “I appreciate the way he played. He can play in the middle of the field and he can play down. He’s one of the few guys who is fully interchangeable. I’m not saying he’s great covering the slot, but he knows how to play within himself.
“I like the angles he plays with in the run game. He’s tough. He’s got the size. His speed is fine.”
And…
“He’s more of a post player than a consistent physical player,” another scout said. “I think he’s unanimous (as the No. 1 safety). He’ll be on the brink of (making the Pro Bowl).”
And still another scout was more lukewarm on him.
“I don’t see anything to him,” he said. “You can see he knows how to play … but he’s not really fast, he’s not really athletic, he’s not a knock-you-out tackler or anything. He’s just OK.”
The Raiders got their “knock-you-out tackler” in Johnathan Abram two years ago. This time they were looking for a single-high safety. So, in that, I think they’re ok.
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