This first video is one I cobbled together off YouTube from a series of videos someone posted of the Penn State offense facing the Alabama defense in 2010. Picking him out should be fairly easy. He's the big, light skinned receiver with black shoes wearing a #6 jersey. There are times when you might confuse him with the guy wearing the #5 jersey but Derek Moye is bigger.
Derek Moye vs. Alabama 2010
[video=youtube;yI0HebOGBK0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?edit=vd&v=yI0HebOGBK0[/video]
This next series of links are a video that I was not able to use YouTube's Video Editor to cut up myself, due to licensing. I've provided links to individual plays I felt were worthy of attention.
Derek Moye vs. Alabama 2011
Near-Side Route vs. Press (Dre Kirkpatrick)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=1s
Far-Side Attempt vs. Press (Dee Milliner)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=202s
Near-Side Route vs Press (Dee Milliner)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=225s
Near-Side Route vs. Press (DaQuan Menzie)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=298s
Far-Side Catch vs. Bail (DaQuan Menzie)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=391s
Near-Side Attempt vs. Zone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=412s
Far-Side Route vs. Zone (DaQuan Menzie)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=468s
Far-Side Attempt vs. Press (Dee Milliner)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=479s
Far-Side Attempt vs. Zone (Dee Milliner)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=488s
Far-Side Catch vs. Zone (DaQuan Menzie)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=513s
Far-Side Attempt vs. Press (Dee Milliner)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=524s
Far-Side Interception vs. Bail (DaQuan Menzie) - Plus Two Replays
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=560s
Far-Side Attempt vs. Man (Dre Kirkpatrick)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=641s
Far-Side Attempt vs. Press (Dre Kirkpatrick)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=650s
Far-Side Route vs. Press (Dre Kirkpatrick)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=661s
Near-Side Attempt vs. Zone (Dee Milliner)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=753s
Far-Side Catch vs. Zone (Dre Kirkpatrick)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=790s
Far-Side Attempt vs. Press (Dre Kirkpatrick)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=806s
Far-Side Route vs. Man (Dre Kirkpatrick)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=855s
Near-Side Route vs. Press (Dee Milliner)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9pmcqL0wVUE#t=880s
Here is what I see in these videos:
-Remember that these are NFL corners and safeties. CB Dre Kirkpatrick and CB Dee Milliner are 1st round caliber players, and CB DaQuan Menzie is a mid round caliber guy. S Mark Barron went in the top 10, and many are already tabbing S Robert Lester for the 1st round. While the production (6 catches for 120 yards in 2 games) was not stellar (see below for reference on what leading WRs did vs Bama in 2011), against these guys everything he did is very translatable at the NFL level because the level of competition was as good as it gets.
-Keeping that in mind, what jumps out to me right away is his consistency against the press. It wasn't ALWAYS perfect, but generally speaking his initial defeat of the press was NFL caliber. There are some instances there where it looks like he doesn't get off the jam but really it's a matter of offensive predictability and the corner sitting heavily on the slant.
-Really suffered a lot from very bad quarterback play. A lot of the 'attempts' I note where he's not able to come down with the ball, are poorly thrown, poorly timed, or poorly decided. There are a few that were his fault. There's one crossing over the middle where the ball was thrown behind him but he could have come down with it. I wish the YouTube video had included the replay because the field level camera gives you a good feel for how big a target a 6'4" guy with Moye's leaping ability and long arms really is over the middle, yet the quarterback still threw behind him. There was a slant that looked like a 1 step drop and Moye needed to be more urgent about getting into his cut. Most of the other attempts weren't really his fault for not coming down with the ball. You need better QB play than that.
-The size/speed ratio are impressive. He's a full 6'4" with long arms, and he ran a 4.44 in the 40 yard dash at his pro day. He's criticized for his skinny frame but I don't see that. I see a guy that has some muscle on him and enough thickness to make that 6'4" frame work. He's a load for a corner to handle in any facet, even Alabama corners who are much bigger than you usually find at the college level.
-Again I have to emphasize how little action Alabama let up to wide receivers this year. Excepting a 65 yard catch given up on the 1st play of the Florida game and a 59 yard catch given up on the 4th play of the Ole Miss game, the amount of production let up to the team's most productive wide receiver in each game this year was ludicrous. Considering some of the horrible passes and missed opportunities the Penn State QBs squandered with Moye facing Alabama this year, you might not be remiss in thinking that secondary had more trouble against Moye than any other wide receiver they faced, on a play for play basis. See below:
Top Producing WRs vs. Alabama in 2011:
Kent State - 3 catches, 24 yards (WR Hurdle)
Penn State - 3 catches, 51 yards (WR Moye)
North Texas - 3 catches, 35 yards (WR Outlaw)
Arkansas - 6 catches, 37 yards (WR Adams)
Florida - 2 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD (WR Debose - 65 yard TD catch on 1st play of game)
Vanderbilt - 1 catch, 9 yards (WR Umoh)
Ole Miss - 4 catches, 101 yards (WR Brassell - 59 yard catch on 4th play of game)
Tennessee - 2 catches, 32 yards (WR Rogers)
LSU - 2 catches, 39 yards (WR Shepard)
Mississippi State - 5 catches, 42 yards, 1 TD (WR Smith)
Georgia Southern - 0 catch, 0 yards
Auburn - 2 catches, 3 yards (WR Reed)
LSU - 5 catches, 38 yards (WR Beckham)
Total - 38 catches, 501 yards, 2 TDs
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djphinfan, P h i N s A N i T y, DOLPHAN1 and 9 others like this.
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Biggest problem I had with Moye, whom I was a big fan of at PSU, is that he let a lot of passes into his body. That's not to say that he had a better option in each instance (as at times he had to shield the ball from the defender), but it was something worth noting IMO. Of course he never had a good QB at PSU either.
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Alabama secondary in 2010 wasn't quite up to the ridiculous caliber it had in 2011. Here are the lead-producing WRs from 2010.
Top Producing WRs vs. Alabama in 2010:
San Jose State - 2 catches, 55 yards (WR Grigsby)
Penn State - 3 catches, 69 yards (WR Moye)
Duke - 7 catches, 55 yards (WR Varner)
Arkansas - 6 catches, 131 yards (WR Wright)
Florida - 3 catches, 60 yards (WR Thompson)
South Carolina - 7 catch, 127 yards, 2 TDs (WR Jeffery)
Ole Miss - 4 catches, 25 yards (WR Harris)
Tennessee - 7 catches, 52 yards (WR Jones)
LSU - 3 catches, 125 yards, 1 TD (WR Randle)
Mississippi State - 2 catches, 44 yards (WR Clark)
Georgia State - 1 catch, 9 yards (WR Williams)
Auburn - 2 catches, 79 yards, 1 TD (WR Zachery)
Michigan State - 2 catches, 56 yards, 1 TD (WR Fowler)
Total - 49 catches, 887 yards, 5 TDs -
I got to see Moye a few times at Penn State the past few years. He is a very big guy with surprisingly good game speed. I believe he used to run track, but I could be wrong. The guy can play.
ckparrothead likes this. -
I think with a more accurate QB...in 2011 Moye catches 6 balls for 125 yards against Alabama's secondary.
He was open on that one potential 20 yarder over the middle where Bolden threw the ball way behind him, and he was open on that 30 yard fade between the corner and safety where the QB woefully underthrew it to the inside. He was open again for a 24 yarder in the hole between corner and safety coverage, but was overthrown. -
Well, it's no secret that the QB situation at PSU has been nothing but miserable during Moye's time at State College. They would play 2 QBs a game usually... not very good at all.
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If that's Brandon Weeden throwing that ball then Derek Moye ends up looking like the best receiver Bama faced all year. They faced Joe Adams, Cobi Hamilton, Jarius Wright, Da'Rick Rogers, Andre Debose, Emory Blake, Russell Shepard, Reuben Randle, Chad Bumphis and Greg Childs...all of whom are NFL prospects.dolfan32323 likes this.
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To me, there is a bit of a risk in all of this as what a player does in college, vs whomever, does not always mean it will translate to the NFL.
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You are saying Moye could have been "potentially" better with a better qb. LOL! Just kiddin. couldn't resist.
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True- but looking at the talent he would go up against week in and week out, accounting for the fact his QB play was pretty awful, means that Moye *could* be a promising player. I think he has the tools to make it in the NFL- he plays within his game and is just a smart player.
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Well, thing is how quickly he picks up the differences between a college route and an nfl route for example.
Even then he has to show he can do things in situations, imo Wr is so tough to fill simply b/c they basically have to relearn how to play the position. Unless they are just physical freaks ala megatron or green. -
Just rewatched the 2 videos in CK's original post. Forgot how much I enjoyed watching Silas Redd run this year and was reminded at how awful Bolden and McGloin were. Sheesh- the wonders a good QB could have had on Moye's career.
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interesting ck ! Moye was hardly on my radar, I was favoring Fuller from the UDFA class..... but this kid is impressive !
Another reason to get amped about the battle @ WR !