Tag: rondale moore

Purdue WR Rondale Moore opts out of 2020 college football season

One of college football’s most explosive playmakers is opting out of the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Yet another top prospect is choosing not to play college football this season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore is opting out of the 2020 season, he announced via social media Thursday:

One of the most explosive playmakers in all of college football, Moore was a constant headache for opposing offenses, threatening to score on every touch. Despite his lack of ideal height, Moore is a tough runner with the ball in his hands, and his versatility made him one of the most dangerous players in the country.

Now, he joins top prospects like Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons, Miami pass rusher Gregory Rousseau and more who are choosing top preserve themselves for the next level rather than playing another season at the college level amid health and safety concerns.

Moore is widely considered a first-round prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft class.

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2021 NFL mock draft connects Saints with Purdue sleeper WR

The Saints picked Purdue draft prospect Rondale Moore in a 2021 NFL mock draft, adding a weapon some see as a Heisman Trophy contender.

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Drew Brees appears set to ride off into the sunset (and then the NBC Sports broadcasting booth) after the 2020 season, if he so chooses, but the possibility of connecting with a high-profile draft prospect from his alma mater might be enough to keep him around for one more year. Maybe.

A recent 2021 mock draft from Luke Easterling over at Draft Wire linked the Saints with Rondale Moore, a dynamic weapon suggested by Pro Football Focus analyst Anthony Treash as a possible Heisman Trophy contender in 2020. Treash wrote of the Purdue Boilermakers phenom:

After being named a first-team All-American and winning the Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player in college football) as a true freshman in 2018, Moore came back in 2019 and looked like he would have an even bigger year. Then he suffered an injury in Week 5 that knocked him out the rest of the season.

That hamstring issue aside, Moore has a ton of momentum building behind him. He caught more passes as a true freshman (114) than the three next-best players combined (108) while averaging over 10 yards per carry on 21 rushing attempts, accounting for 29% of the touchdowns the Boilermakers scored on offense back in 2018 — again, as a true freshman.

In fact, PFF graded his performance that year as one of the best seasons ever put together by a first-year player at the college level, going back to 2014. Only uber-talented LSU Tigers cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. has rated better in that era. So, yeah: the Saints could definitely use someone with Moore’s skills. But if he’s able to live up to the hype in 2020 after an injury-shortened 2019, he might not make it to their draft slot.

An interesting (and welcome) wrinkle to 2021 mock drafts is that the Saints own each of their picks in the first two rounds for the first time since 2017. They traded their third-round choice next year to move up in the 2020 draft, but expect to recoup it as a compensatory pick after Teddy Bridgewater signed with the cross-division rival Carolina Panthers.

For the folks keeping score at home, the Saints have made selections in each of the first three rounds just three times over the last decade (2017, 2015, and 2010). An influx of young talent, maybe in the wake of Brees’ retirement, would be nice to see. In Easterling’s mock draft, he connected the Saints with Clemson Tigers pass rusher Xavier Thomas — not a bad find in the second round.

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2021 NFL Draft could give the Eagles the ultimate chance to retool the WR position

Philadelphia Eagles could find a star at WR during 2021 NFL Draft

The Philadelphia Eagles will have some salary cap issues to resolve over the next few seasons and the team will need to draft well in hopes of not wasting Carson Wentz’s prime years.

The key to the retool will be continuing to solidify the offensive line while surrounding Carson Wentz with big-time playmakers on the outside.

Howie Roseman started the process in April, selecting three receivers, and trading for another during the 2020 NFL Draft. First-round pick Jalen Reagor is expected to make an immediate impact, while late-round selections John Hightower and Quez Watkins should add speed to the roster.

Marquise Goodwin acquired in a trade with the 49ers, will try to stay healthy and will only be a one-year rental.

For Roseman and the Eagles, the 2021 draft will provide an efficient opportunity to properly move on from DeSean Jackson, who turns 34 in December. Alshon Jeffery is recovering from foot surgery and may not be ready for the start of the season, which will probably be his final in Philadelphia.

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside failed to meet expectations as a rookie and could be battling for his Eagles career this season.

The Eagles could and should be in the market for a wide receiver heading into next year’s draft and the 2021 selection process could be more historic than the 2020 class that saw six receivers go in the first round.

With the Eagles being focused on the future, cutting costs while getting younger and cheaper, here are 10 wide receivers Philadelphia could have interest in during the next years 2021 NFL Draft.

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1. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU (6-1, 200)

The best wide receiver in college football last season didn’t even enter the NFL Draft and he’ll return to Baton Rouge for one more impressive season.

Chase had a monster sophomore year, leading the LSU offense in receiving yards (1,780), receiving touchdowns (20) and yards per catch (21.2) and he’ll likely be gone before the Eagles pick.

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