STRENGTHS - Moore is a good athlete that has a very good first step off the snap and the agility to break down and change directions effectively in space. He has a solid build should be able to pack on additional the weight required of his position. He shows the ability to rush from a variety of spots and can string together several different moves when he is aggressive with his hands. He has excellent read and react skills, as he is able to quickly diagnose plays correctly and beat blockers to the POA.
WEAKNESSES - At times Moore gets too high and passive at the snap and allows blockers to get into his framework. While he flashes the length and hands to defeat blockers, too often he stops his feet and lets his man control him at the POA. Although he is consistently one of the first men moving at the snap he lacks the speed to truly threaten the edge and needs to rely on hand usage to rush the passer effectively. On runs away from him he does not consistently commit to pursuing the ball.
SUMMARY - Damontre Moore made a huge splash in September with six sacks in his first three games (three in the opener against Florida), but I was disappointed with the consistency in his play. His motor seemed to run hot and could throughout the season, as he tended to disappear for significant stretches in most every game of his I evaluated. He has a more polished skill set, especially in terms of his hand usage, than several of the other top level defensive end prospects in this class, but too often he seems content to become a spectator and allow his man to tie him up at the POA. While some may speculate his inconsistency was a result of adding weight and playing with his hand down this year, after previously playing OLB, I think he actually played his more natural position this past season, as he is not an elite athlete and lacks the long speed to consistently make plays in pursuit. His numbers stack up with most any DE in the 2012 draft class, but he doesn't have the same athletic upside as the elite prospects and is a more reasonable value on day two.