NFL draft analyst projects one Longhorn defender among underrated prospects

Texas edge Trey Moore receiving high praise from NFL scouts ahead of first year with the Longhorns

After spending the first three years of his collegiate career with the UTSA Roadrunners, edge rusher [autotag]Trey Moore[/autotag] will have a new home in Austin with the Texas Longhorns for the 2024 season.

This past season, Moore set the UTSA single-season sack record with 14 as well as previously setting the single-season tackles for loss record back in 2022 with 18.

Moore led the way for the UTSA defense with 45 total tackles, one forced fumble, one interception and batted down three passes on his way to being named the 2023 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-AAC.

With the Longhorns, Moore will be the primary pass rusher in Pete Kwiatkowski’s 4-2-5 defense and will have the sole responsibility of just going after the quarterback, which he has clearly proven he can do.

ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller thinks that Moore will be a massive piece for Steve Sarkisian’s squad next season as he projects (subscription required) him as one of the most under-the-radar players from the upcoming 2025 NFL draft class.

“The 6-3, 235-pound junior has excellent first-step quickness and speed around the corner,” Miller wrote. “That allowed him to post 14 sacks last season after having eight in his first year as a starter in 2022. One AFC scout who covers the state of Texas compared him to 247-pound edge rusher Dallas Turner, who went No. 17 overall to the Vikings in the 2024 draft. Size concerns and a jump in competition are something to watch for Moore, but his burst off the snap is special. He ranked fourth in the FBS in pressure rate last season (19.2%), just behind Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. (20.1%), who my colleague Jordan Reid had at No. 4 overall in his debut 2025 mock draft. With Texas moving to the SEC and facing a road game at Michigan, Moore will have the chance to prove himself early in the season.”

LonghornsWire will continue to monitor Moore’s draft stock throughout the 2024 season.

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