With the start of the NFL Combine tomorrow, we will begin our scouting reports of possible Saints draft picks. First up on the block is Missouri safety William Moore.
William Moore was the top rated safety at the end of the 2008 college football season but his stock has dropped significantly due to a poor performance at the Senior Bowl last month. 2007 was William Moore's breakout season at Missouri when he was tied for the lead in the nation with eight interceptions and racked up 117 tackles. His production dropped off a bit last season but some of that is due to injury. Moore started his college career as a cornerback but switched to safety during his time at Missouri. Because of this, his versatility gives him the ability to play free safety, strong safety or cornerback.
Physically, Moore has ideal size for a safety. At 6' 1" (6' 2" depending on the source) he can match well with the NFL's tall receivers. Combine that size with the hard-hitting, physical play William is known for and he becomes a very attractive option. Moore is touted for his run stopping ability but also plays very well in pass coverage thanks to his great playmaking instincts and ability to read the play.
Moore comes from a zone coverage scheme and has a little trouble playing in man coverage. This was the cause of his problems during the Senior Bowl and was the main reason his stock dropped. We don't know much about the scheme that new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams plans to install so there is no telling whether Moore would be a good fit for the Saints. Another concern with Moore is his poor blitzing ability because of dificulty reading the offensive line. The final red flag with William Moore is his durability and his penchant for injury, including problems with his foot, ribs, shoulder and hamstring.
Do the Saints want him?
The answer to this question depends on two things: whether he fits into Gregg Williams' new scheme and whether he can raise his stock at the combine. If Williams is planning on installing a man scheme, Moore is not an attractive option. As it stands now, Moore seems more likely to drop to the second round. With other players stocks rising every day, the possibility of the Saints choosing Moore with their first pick is becoming less and less likely. But if the Saints trade down as many of us hope, he definitely becomes an option and a good value in the second or maybe even third round.
Make the jump for the rest of CSC's in-depth scouting report.
At a Glance
| William Moore | |||||
| Position: Strong Safety/Free Safety | Height: 6' 1" | ||||
| College: Missouri | Weight: 230 | ||||
| Class: Senior | Birthday: 5/18/85 | ||||
| High School: Hayti, MO |
40 Time: 4.42 |
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| Projected Round: Late 1st, Early 2nd |
Other Projected Teams: Houston |
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College Stats
| Year | Games Played | Tackles | Pass Breakups | Interceptions | Yards |
| 2004 | Red Shirt | Red Shirt | Red Shirt | Red Shirt | Red Shirt |
| 2005 | 9 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 62 |
| 2006 | 13 | 51 | 8 | 1 | 22 |
| 2007 | 14 | 117 | 6 | 8 | 61 |
| 2008 | 12 | 86 | 6 | 1 | 17 |
| Totals | 48 | 284 | 22 | 11 | 162 |
Profile
From Missouri's official athletic website
2007 SEASON
Emerged as one of the nation's top playmakers at safety, as he tied for the NCAA lead with a school-record 8 interceptions ... His development throughout the course of the season was a major reason why the Tiger defense turned into one of the better ones in the Big 12 Conference, and his leadership after the defense lost fellow safety Pig Brown in game eight for the year was crucial ... Had 5 INTs and 2 forced fumbles in the 6 games after Brown was lost for the year ... Was named a 1st-Team All-American by Rivals.com, and took home 2nd-Team All-American honors by the Associated Press for his stellar play, as well as from Sports Illustrated and the Sporting News ... Showed in MU's 38-7 dismantling of Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl just why he deserved the accolades, as he won Defensive MVP honors with a 13-tackle that included 1 pass break up, 1 forced fumble and an interception that he returned in the third quarter for a TD that broke the game open for good ... Had a huge fourth-quarter interception against Illinois that snuffed out a potential game-winning drive deep in MU territory with under seven minutes to play ... Made eight tackles on the day (all solo stops) including two tackles for loss ... Added nine tackles against Ole Miss ... Had a team-leading 11 tackles against Western Michigan to go over 100 for his career ... Intercepted his fourth career pass and made seven tackles against Illinois State ... Was second on the club with eight tackles against Nebraska, including his fourth TFL on the year ... Helped hold Nebraska's vaunted West Coast Offense to just 297 total yards ... Recorded five tackles against Oklahoma ... Made eight tackles as the Tigers defense shutdown Texas Tech ... Added a sack (the first of his career) and intercepted a Graham Harrell pass ... The INT was his third on the season and the fifth of his career ... Made three stops against Iowa State ... Led the team with 11 tackles against Colorado in another impressive defensive effort ... Added an interception (his fourth of the season) and forced a fumble against the Buffaloes ... Made and INT for the second-straight game, picking of Texas A&M's Stephen McGee ... Made six tackles, including one TFL, and one PBU against the Aggies ... Tied for second on the team with eight tackles (six solo) against Kansas State, including a sack ... Picked off his sixth pass of the year, returning it for 22 yards ... Picked off his seventh pass of the year against Kansas, which ties Roger Wehrli's (1968) record for INTs in a season ... Tied for the team lead with seven tackles against KU ... Led the team with a career-best 13 tackles (nine solo) against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship ... Three of his INTs came in the fourth quarter ... Ended second on the team with 117 tackles on the year, which was ninth most in the Big 12 Conference ... Changed his jersey number to 1 this spring, after wearing 21 previously for the Tigers.
2006 SEASON
Made big plays as a sophomore on both defense and special teams ... Had 51 tackles in 13 games, and made 4 starts at free safety ... Ended the year with 5 tackles in the Sun Bowl, including a half-tackle for loss, and also broke up a career-high 3 passes, which gave him 8 for the season, a total that ranked 2nd on the team overall ... Was listed on depth chart as the No. 2 strong safety behind David Overstreet, but played both the free and strong safety position ... Had an MVP-type night at Texas Tech, posting a career-high 10 stops (9 solo), as he saw his most extensive action of the season in that game ... Recorded a pair of turnovers vs. the Red Raiders, recovering a fumble and returning an interception 22 yards for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter 1 play after teammate Xzavie Jackson had returned another interception 17 yards for a TD - those plays turned a 10-0 MU lead into a huge 24-0 edge and keyed MU's eventual 38-21 win in Lubbock ... Has 2 career INTs, and both have been returned for TDs (62 yards vs. Iowa State in 2005 and 22 yards at Texas Tech in 2006) ... Registered 7 tackles at Texas A&M, and had 6 total stops (3 solo) against Oklahoma ... Had an impressive spring camp that he capped off by returning an interception 45 yards for a TD during the annual Black & Gold Game ... Was full-go during spring camp, despite having surgery in the off-season to insert a screw into his right foot that he broke on the opening series of Mizzou's Independence Bowl victory over South Carolina.2005 SEASON
Very talented athlete who made a big impression in his first action as a Tiger ... Played in 9 games, making 2 starts (including the bowl game victory), and had 30 tackles on the season playing at the free safety position, playing behind All-Big 12 candidate Jason Simpson ... Started for the suspended Simpson in the Independence Bowl, and tied a career-best by making 6 tackles, despite the fact that he broke a bone in his right foot in the opening series of the game ... He continued to play the rest of the 1st quarter before having to sit out the last 3 quarters of play due to the injury ... Also missed 3 games early in the season due to a severe hamstring injury he suffered in practice prior to game No. 2 ... Made the 1st start of his career against Iowa State, as MU went to a nickel package to begin the game, and he made the decision pay off, as he intercepted an errant out route on the 2nd series of the game, and raced 62 yards for his 1st collegiate TD, to put MU up 7-0 ... Had a career-best 6 tackles at Kansas, and followed that by making 4 stops at Colorado and 5 tackles against Baylor ... Forced a fumble in the season opener against Arkansas State, as he registered 3 tackles in his collegiate debut ... Was credited with 3 tackles in Mizzou's 41-24 win over Nebraska, and had 1 QB hurry and 1 pass broken up in the game ... Had a very impressive spring practice period that saw him move up from 4th on the depth chart to 2nd at free safety ... Had 5 tackles and broke up a pass in the 2005 spring game, and was named the team's most improved safety for his efforts.2004 SEASON
Redshirt season ... Spent a year working on the scout squad and working in the Tiger strength program ... Played cornerback most of the year before switching to safety.HIGH SCHOOL
Came to Mizzou ranked as the nation's No. 64-ranked receiver, according to Rivals.com ... Also ranked as the No. 12 overall prospect at any position in the state of Missouri by Rivals.com ... Earned all-state honors on both sides of the ball during his prep career at Hayti, which won 3 consecutive conference championships from 2001-03 and finished as Class 2A runners up in 2002 ... Had school career-record numbers of 74 catches for 1,768 yards and 34 touchdowns receiving ... His 35 total career scores ranks him 5th on Hayti's career scoring chart ... Four-year letterwinner in football and basketball at Hayti, and was a team MVP and all-conference pick on the hardwood as a junior ... High school coach - Jerry Bethune.PERSONAL
Son of William Shaw & Marilyn Moore ... Area of academic interest lies in studying adolescent psychology at Mizzou ... Chose MU over Oklahoma, Purdue, Mississippi, Arkansas and Illinois, among others.
Random Fact
Goes by the name Willy-Mo when rapping for Fo Sho Entertainment. Has opened for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
Strengths
Outstanding size with long arms...Muscular with great bulk...A great athlete...Tough and physical...A big hitter who strikes fear into the hearts of the opposition...Does a terrific job against the run...Has excellent range...Explosive with a burst to close...Decent hands and ball skills...Has shown the ability to make plays in coverage...Real versatile...Productive...Strong work ethic...A team leader and captain.
The biggest attribute that Moore possesses is his ability to be very physical. If you are going to play in the NFL you have to be very physical and Moore will be able to do this. Not only is Moore well adept at defending against the pass he is also tough against the run which is very important for an NFL safety to be able to do as well. Not only is he very physical but his size is very good for the position. At 6'2" 230 he has the ideal size desired for a player at his position and he is able to use his size to intimidate other players and bring on the hard hits andMoore isn't afraid to deliver a hard hit.
Moore also possesses great athleticism and the unique ability to cover nearly as well as a cornerback despite the fact he weighs 230 pounds. He is fluid in his transition into coverage and has the speed to keep up with receivers. Moore is also able, while in coverage, to find the ball in the air and make a play on it to keep it away from the receiver.
Some of the other positive things about Moore include his ability to anticipate the play. Moore reads plays very well and has good anticipation of plays. He can usually always be found close to the ball. He is also very versatile and will line up all over the field in different positions making it difficult for the offense to keep track of him and giving him a chance to make plays all over the field. Moore is also a solid tackler as well and tackles with good form
Weaknesses
Durability is a concern...Questionable instincts...Can be slow to read and react...Misses too many tackles...Too aggressive at times...Lacks fluid hips...Speed is merely average...Will struggle to match up with wideouts in man coverage...Needs to face the action...Lets emotions gets the best of him ... Might be more effective if he lost a little weight.
Like every outstanding player, there is some downside to Moore. First and foremost, since Moore is such aggressive player he sometimes plays too aggressive and will take himself out of plays from time to time thanks to being too aggressive. When he reaches the NFL, he will learn patience and learn how to keep himself from being too aggressive and taking himself out of plays. Yet another issue that Moore has is an inability to blitz the quarterback. He has been used on blitz attempts while on defense at Missouri but hasn't had much success rushing the passer. The issue is that he gets blocked out of the play and seems to lack the quickness to reach the quarterback on a blitz. He will have to learn how to blitz better in the NFL.
Moore has also had some injury issues. He has hurt his right foot so much to the point he needed to have surgery and a pin was put into it. This will raise some questions by NFL scouts and they will take a close look at this as they evaluate Moore for the draft. He hasn't had any serious problems since then. As a result, Moore may have lost a little bit of his speed causing him to not close in on the play as well as he could. He also has some difficulty closing in when he is beaten and this will be scrutinized by NFL scouts.
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