25. Zack Moss, RB, Utah
Height: 5’9″ Weight: 223
40-Yard Dash: 4.65
Bench Press: 19
Vertical Jump: 33.0
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.37
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: A cousin of former NFL players Santana and Sinorice Moss, Zack Moss originally planned to follow in their footsteps at the University of Miami but then decided to make his own way at Utah, where he would have the opportunity to start as a true freshman. He got 84 carries and two rushing touchdowns for 342 yards in 2016, ramping that up to 1,173 yards and 10 touchdowns on 214 carries as a sophomore. Moss had three straight seasons of more than 1,000 rushing yards and at least 10 touchdowns despite injuries that limited him to just nine games in 2018. Moss is leaving Utah for the NFL following his finest collegiate season — 1,416 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns on 235 attempts, and 388 yards and two more touchdowns on 28 receptions.
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“Unfinished business came from what I wanted to do with the team,” Moss recently told me regarding his decision to return for his senior season. “We lost our last two games that year [the Pac-12 Championship against Washington, and the Holiday Bowl], I got injured, and our quarterback [Tyler Huntley] went down, too. We felt that we were a very talented group, and we showed that this last year. We came up short in the Pac-12 Championship game again this last year [losing to Oregon], but that’s pretty much where the whole ‘unfinished business’ thing came from.”
There isn’t much Moss left on the table after his four years with the Utes.
Stat to Know: If you’re going to tackle Moss, you’d better do it with perfect form, and you should probably bring friends. Last season, he forced 89 missed tackles and gained 1,042 yards after contact on just 235 rushing attempts.
Strengths: Moss presents a level of power, attitude and short-level agility that is unrivaled in this class. Solo tacklers work at a very low success rate. Seems to be empowered by first contact. He combines contact balance and quick cuts in space to be a very dangerous individual in the open field — he had 21 carries of 15 or more yards last season. Has a spin move at the line of scrimmage he’s used to take defensive linemen right out of the play. Diagnoses defensive fronts on the fly and is outstanding at moving multiple gaps for the open hole. Improved as a receiver for the 2019 season, and broke 33 tackles on 66 catches in his career. Anytime you have a 50% broken tackle rate, you’re on the right track. Has the ability to right himself on the fly and bash into more defenders for more yards. Falls forward and into contact. Total red zone weapon.
Weaknesses: Concerns about Moss’ second- and third-level speed are a bit exaggerated, but it’s true that he won’t run right past a safety most of the time. Of course, that safety has to tackle him at some point. His running style could lead to injury issues down the road, but that hasn’t been a major issue so far.
Conclusion: Some might look at Moss as a one-dimensional power back based solely on the ways he’s able to make collegiate defenders look like sixth-grade kids, but there’s more to his game than that. He’s both sudden and patient at the line of scrimmage, has several different strategies to extend his plays, and has the potential to be an every-down back.
NFL Comparison: Marshawn Lynch. It’s a lofty comparison, but Moss meets it with his combination of violence and elusiveness. Plug him into your offense and watch defenders get just a bit more nervous.