Rondale Moore: Stock to the Moon

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Rondale Moore had worries about size, but with draft capital and a great landing spot, his potential is to the moon.

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Rondale Moore has been one of my favorite players in the draft ever since his freshmen year at Purdue, where he had a dominator rating of 37% and was a breakout player as a Freshman. After his freshman year, Moore suffered through injuries in his last two years at Purdue, and never fully reached his level of play from his freshmen year.

His injury history and lower than expected height made people question if the NFL would downgrade him as a prospect, and overlook his excellent testing numbers from his Pro Day. As the draft came up, many hesitated to rank him too high amongst rookies because he needed to go into the right situation.

Before the NFL Draft it was heartbreaking, but I moved Moore down from my WR1; but he was still in my top 5 rookie WR rankings. Moore did not go in the 1st-round but did get 2nd-round draft capital when he was picked by the Arizona Cardinals 49th overall, and was the 7th WR taken.

I found Waddle, Rondale Moore, Elijah Moore, Devonta Smith, and Rashod Bateman to be very close, so the landing spot changed my rankings after the draft.

Let’s take a look at the reasons why Rondale Moore’s landing spot moved him up to #2 in rookie WR rankings.

Arizona Offense in 2020

Kyler Murray won the rookie of the year award in 2019, but the offense still wasn’t overly impressive. The Cardinals went and traded for DeAndre Hopkins improving the offense in every category. Hopkins gave Kyler a #1 receiver but the Cardinals had trouble finding a consistent WR2. Christian Kirk had the 2nd highest yardage total (only 600) with the next highest being Larry Fitzgerald with only around 400 yards. So the main goal for the Cardinals in 2021 is to find another consistent option for Kyler to continue to grow.

Changes to Cardinals WR Depth Chart

The Cardinals’ only WR free agent signing was AJ Green and it had underwhelming reception. Last season, Green played all 16 games for the first time since 2017. His performance took a huge spike however, with only a 45% catch rate on over 100 targets.

In the 2nd round of the NFL Draft, the Cardinals made a splash by selecting electric receiver Rondale Moore; most likely pointing to the retiring of Larry Fitzgerald who was third in targets in 2020.

Rondale Moore’s role in Cardinals offense

Even though the Cardinals’ offense was 6th in total yards, it was not because they pushed the ball down the field as only 12% of  their passes were over 20 yards. Kyler finished with 7.1 yards per attempt, which ranked 22nd in the NFL.

Along with the scheme of quick short passes, Kliff Kingsbury utilizes WRs the 3rd most in his offense (image below). This fits perfectly with Moore’s skill set. At Purdue, Mooore’s average depth of target was around 5 yards and he averaged over 7 yards after the catch. This is 2 yards greater than the best WR on the Cardinals in 2021.

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2021 Offensive-Minded #NFL Head Coaches/OC's whose offenses average the most WR targets per game (career)

1. Brian Callahan (24.34) – CIN
2. Zac Taylor (24.11) – CIN
3T. Kliff Kingsbury (23.59) – AZ
3T. Kellen Moore (23.59) – DAL
5T. Matt Rhule & Joe Brady (23.19) – CAR

— Eli Grabanski (@3li_handles) May 2, 2021

There may be questions about how much playing time Moore will get in his rookie year. Kingsbury ran the most offensive plays with four or more WRs on the field. 2021 should show Hopkins and Green outside, while Moore and Kirk will man the slot. AJ Green in 2020 showed he has lost a step so while he will assuredly get targets, Moore could take over the WR2 role for the Cardinals.

If Rondale Moore can earn playing time this season, there will be opportunities. Under Kliff Kingsbury, the Cardinals have run 548 offensive plays with 4+ WR on the field, according to ESPN Stats & Information. No other team has more than 161 such plays.

— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) May 1, 2021

Moore’s Projection and Fantasy Football Value

Sometimes the Cardinals’ offense could be unimaginative. But with the addition of Rondale Moore, there does not need to be much imagination. All you have to do is just get the ball in Moore’s hands in open space. I believe even Kingsbury cannot get this wrong, and the speed of Murray combined with Moore could provide deadly.

Moore can be similarly used on runs and behind-line passes like the Chiefs do with Mecole Hardman and Tyreek Hill. He can be used all over the field and be brought in motion and will likely take targets away from the RBs.

There were only 10 runs by WRs last year, and that will undoubtedly go up with the addition of Moore. It’s possible to see him getting around 80 to 100 touches, and could be comparable in usage to Curtis Samuel. The main difference to me, would be that Moore will have less downfield routes than Samuel; but is quicker than him in the open field.

I see Moore as a great dynasty asset that is going in rookie drafts in the early to mid 2nd round, but I believe will be a top 25 WR in PPR formats. I don’t think there could have been a better landing spot for Moore, so the ceiling is enormous for this electric playmaker. Enjoy some tantalizing highlights of Moore and go get him in rookie drafts.