D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in trouble.

No, I’m not talking about the holes they have at the linebacker position due to the retirement of underrated linebacker, Paul Posluszny. Their top 3 defense that consists of superstars and great contributors such as Jalen Ramsey, AJ Bouye, Myles Jack, Dante Fowler Jr, Marcell Dareus, Malik Jackson, and Calais Campbell should be more than enough to carry the load.

No, I’m not talking about the question mark at the QB position known as Blake Bortles, either. Even though he has been a shell of the QB we saw in his great 2015 season, the latter half of the 2017-2018 NFL season has shown us that he can still be the franchise Quarterback Jacksonville so desperately needs. After all, he did notch 2 playoff wins this past season, including a stellar performance in which he absolutely shredded the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh! On top of that, he almost came away with the victory in New England with another franchise QB-like performance. Blake Bortles really is not as bad as some people make him out to be.

However, we must realize that franchise quarterbacks need weapons. We saw that last year with the tremendous leap of our own quarterback, Carson Wentz. And unfortunately for Blake, he lost some of his most reliable weapons. He lost Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, and Marcedes Lewis, three of his most reliable and talented options. And even though the Jags still have Marqise Lee, Keelan Cole (who led the team in receiving yards last year), and rising star, Dede Westbrook, there is still room for improvement. Especially when your quarterback is a figurative rollercoaster like Blake Bortles. The Jaguars need a wide receiver.

The Pick: DJ Moore, Wide Receiver, Maryland

DJ Moore is exactly what the Jacksonville Jaguars need at wide receiver. Stability and Reliability. While Allen Robinson was certainly a good player, he was never consistent enough to be a true weapon for Blake Bortles to use effectively. Also, his health was a concern, especially considering he suffered an ACL tear this past year. While it was shocking to see the Jags not use the franchise tag on him, I can see the reasoning behind that decision. They didn’t trust Allen Robinson to be THE guy, even when he is healthy. DJ Moore has the potential to be just that.

College Career

DJ Moore began his college career showing his potential right out of the gate. As a freshman at Maryland, he caught 25 receptions for 357 yards (14.28 average) and 3 touchdowns in the final 10 games of the year. As a sophomore, he took a jump forward as he quickly became the team’s leading receiver (41 catches for 637 yards and 6 touchdowns) and the team’s leading kick returner as well (15 kick returns for 334 yards). In his final season at Maryland, he turned into a superstar. He started all 12 games of the season and caught 80 passes for 1033 yards and 8 touchdowns. His 80 receptions were the most in Maryland history. He won the honor of being the 2017 Big 10 Receiver of the Year and he did so by catching passes from 4 different quarterback throughout the season.

Strengths

-Great locker room character

-Solid hands

-Can return kicks and punts very well

-Fantastic after-catch receiver

-Dangerous on hitch routes and catch and run options (Which is great for a QB like Blake Bortles)

-Pretty fast for his size

Weaknesses

-Needs further improvement on his route running

-Not good enough win percentage on 50-50 balls

-Catch production based on simple routes and throws

DJ Moore vs. Christian Kirk

Okay. So, making this pick was a tough one for me because I have always liked both Christian Kirk and DJ Moore. My eyes were set on making Courtland Sutton the pick, however, just 2 picks beforehand, the Saints stole him away (Curse you MidMajorMatt). So I was given the difficult task of choosing between two receivers I liked. So, I decided to do some simple comparing. It’s DJ Moore vs. Christian Kirk time!

(Moore vs. Kirk format)

Height: 6 feet vs 5 foot 10. Point-Moore

Weight: 210 vs 200. Point-Moore

Arms: 31 5/8” vs 30 3/8”. Point-Moore

Hands: 9 5/8” vs 9 7/8” Point-Kirk

40 yard dash: 4.42 vs 4.47 Point-Moore

Bench Press: 15 vs 20 Point-Kirk

Vertical Jump: 39.5 vs 35.5 Point-Moore

Broad Jump: 132 vs 115 Point-Moore

3 cone drill: 6.95 vs 7.09 Point-Moore

20 yard shuttle: 4.07 vs 4.45 Point-Moore

60 yard shuttle: 11.18 vs 12.03 Point-Moore

Draft projection: Late first-Early second vs Mid second-Early third Point-Moore

While the two receivers seem to be on about the same level of strength, Moore has the bigger size frame, is more athletic, and is also a bit faster than Kirk. In the NFL, those qualities are huge, especially when it comes to wide receivers.

Final Tally: Moore-10 , Kirk-2

Closing Thoughts

DJ Moore would be the perfect fit for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Blake Bortles needs another threat that he can rely on. Leonard Fournette needs someone to take linebackers and safeties off of his shoulders. The Jags could really use a young, proven, and healthy receiver to hopefully take over the reigns that Allen Robinson should have a long time ago. And that is to be the Jags’ very own AB or Julio Jones. DJ Moore’s spider graph is eerily similar to a future Hall of Famer, Andre Johnson. If the Jaguars can get their own Andre Johnson in this draft, then this draft is a success, no matter what they do later on. This Jaguars team is still very young and therefore, their window of opportunity will be here for quite a while. So adding a potentially elite threat to their arsenal would be tremendous for an already AFC Championship participant. Who knows? Maybe the Jaguars will win the Superbowl next year if they get DJ Moore.....Nah, they’d have to beat the current Superbowl Champions first!

2018 BGN Community Mock Draft Order

1) Browns (GMinTraining): Saquon Barkley

2) Giants (ablesser88): Quenton Nelson

3) Jets (20Safety_Hazards): Sam Darnold

4) Browns (MJ1893): Josh Rosen

5) Broncos (drc242): Baker Mayfield

6) Colts (I Need a Username): Bradley Chubb

7) Buccaneers (dunc123): Minkah Fitzpatrick

8) Bears (NVEagleShark): Tremaine Edmunds

9) 49ers (Doug Pederson’s Pair of Balls): Calvin Ridley

10) Raiders (Milehighbirds): Derwin James

11) Dolphins (danishdynamite_): Roquan Smith

12) Bills (LAOJoe): Denzel Ward

13) Washington (Eagle1987): Vita Vea

14) Packers (89Tremaine): Mike Hughes

15) Cardinals (RimoDawkins): Josh Allen

16) Ravens (PhillyEagles2011): Mike McGlinchey

17) Chargers (LBCeaglesFan!): Da’Ron Payne

18) Seahawks (KEZHOG): Marcus Davenport

19) Cowboys (Brawnybalboa): Rashaan Evans

20) Lions (dshelton5): Derrius Guice

21) Bengals (Palaniappan K M): Connor Williams

22) Bills (BeamerWentzorBentley): Lamar Jackson

23) Patriots (jy1187): Harold Landry

24) Panthers (dceagles): Justin Reid

25) Titans (ei78): Leighton Vander Esch

26) Falcons (SakPrescott): Taven Bryan

27) Saints (MidMajorMatt): Courtland Sutton

28) Steelers (SummersInVA): Joshua Jackson

29) Jaguars (RecarTabmok): D.J. Moore

30) Vikings (AnthroEagle):

31) Patriots (PhilaWolverine):

32) Eagles (JALupowitz):

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Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think the Falcons should pick in the 2018 BGN Consensus Mock Draft.

1) Browns: Saquon Barkley

2) Giants: Sam Darnold

3) Jets: Josh Rosen

4) Browns: Josh Allen

5) Broncos: Baker Mayfield

6) Colts: Bradley Chubb

7) Buccaneers: Minkah Fitzpatrick

8) Bears: Quenton Nelson

9) 49ers: Tremaine Edmunds

10) Raiders: Derwin James

11) Dolphins: Roquan Smith

12) Bills: Lamar Jackson

13) Washington: Vita Vea

14) Packers: Denzel Ward

15) Cardinals: Mason Rudolph

16) Ravens: Mike McGlinchey

17) Chargers: Da’Ron Payne

18) Seahawks: Marcus Davenport

19) Cowboys: Rashaan Evans

20) Lions: Derrius Guice

21) Bengals: Connor Williams

22) Bills: Calvin Ridley

23) Patriots: Harold Landry

24) Panthers: Courtland Sutton

25) Titans: Leighton Vander Esch

26) Falcons: Maurice Hurst

27) Saints: Dallas Goedert

28) Steelers: Joshua Jackson

29) Jaguars: