New York Jets select Malachi Moore in fourth round of 2025 NFL Draft

Malachi Moore has been a massive player for Alabama over the course of the past five seasons. But now, his NFL journey is officially underway.

The New York Jets selected Moore with the No. 130 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Getting a defensive back of Moore’s caliber in the fourth round could prove to be quite valuable in the coming years. A staple in Tuscaloosa during his college days, the goal is now to do the same at the next level. New York traded up for Moore, sending the No. 145th pick (fifth round) and No. 207th pick (sixth round) to select him toward the end of the fourth round.

Moore played high school football at Trussville (AL) Hewitt-Trussville, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 189 overall recruit in the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Nick Saban immediately trusted Moore as a true freshman. Of the 13 games Alabama played in a national championship-winning season, Moore started in 11 of them. An injury kept him out of the College Football Playoff games against Notre Dame and Ohio State.

Brian Branch then made his way into the starting role at nickel, and even so, Moore stayed with the program. Leaving after the 2023 season could have been easy, especially with Saban retiring. Instead, Moore decided to stick around and become a leader for Kalen DeBoer.

“I would say I had a lot of respect for Coach DeBoer when he first came in,” Moore said in July 2024. “That’s one of the first things I told him when we had our first conversation together, the night he got there, was I told him how much respect I have for him for just being man enough to step up and take his job after the greatest coach in college football.”

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Malachi Moore

Heading into the draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein projected Moore would be a fifth-round pick. The Alabama prospect score was 5.90, meaning Moore would be an “average backup or special teamer.” You can check out the full scouting report from Zierlein.

“Moore can play all the safety spots but is more effective in coverage than he is when helping against the run,” Zierlein said. “He has average top-end speed but makes up for it with good awareness and ball location when playing down the field. Moore could be asked to line up as a nickelback or split safety but solid backup might be as high as his ceiling goes.”