Michigan notebook: Rod Moore one of top players to turn down NFL Draft, where J.J. McCarthy stands in re-ranking of 2021 QB recruits
Michigan Wolverines football saw two juniors leave early for the 2024 NFL Draft in quarterback J.J. McCarthy and linebacker Junior Colson. But a notable pair decided to stay in running back Donovan Edwards and safety Rod Moore, the latter of whom has been named by Pro Football Focus (PFF) as one of the top players in the country to turn down the NFL this time around.
PFF analyst Max Chadwick released a list of the top 11 athletes to put the NFL Draft on hold. In fact, had he gone to the league, the site had Moore as its fourth-ranked safety on its 2024 NFL Draft big board.
“He’s one of 11 Power Five safeties over the last two seasons with 80-plus PFF coverage and run-defense grades,” Chadwick wrote.
Moore began this past season dealing with a knee injury that held him out of all three Michigan non-conference games. He missed a tackle on a touchdown on his third snap of the season against Rutgers but rounded into form by midseason and finished the year with some big performances. Moore averaged 4.7 tackles per game and totaled 28 over his last six appearances, after posting just 10 stops in the previous six.
All told for the year, Moore registered 38 tackles, including 1 for loss, with 2 interceptions. His first pick of the season came in a win over Purdue Nov. 4.
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Moore led Michigan in interceptions as a sophomore in 2022, with the ballhawk’s 4 picks standing as the most by a U-M safety since Dewayne Patmon had an identical number in 1998.
The Athletic re-ranks 2021 quarterback recruits
McCarthy was the No. 5 quarterback in the 2021 recruiting class, per the 247 Composite rankings, but has surged up the list on The Athletic‘s re-rankings of that quarterback haul. He’s now No. 3, behind only USC’s Caleb Williams (previously No. 2) and North Carolina’s Drake Maye (previously No. 9). The Michigan signal-caller checked in ahead of Texas’ Quinn Ewers (previously No. 1) and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (previously No. 13), who round out the top five.
“He’s the winner among the group,” The Athletic‘s Antonio Morales wrote. “McCarthy went 27-1 as Michigan’s starter and is the only quarterback in the class who won a national championship. The Wolverines’ foundation was built on their run game and defense, though, so McCarthy wasn’t asked to do a ton. His 2023 stat line wasn’t overwhelming: 2,991 passing yards with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. But he made plays when he needed to against Ohio State and in the College Football Playoff against Alabama and Washington. McCarthy declared for the draft a few weeks ago and will be an intriguing prospect for NFL teams to evaluate.”
McCarthy’s standing among the 2021 signal-callers actually lines up with how ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believes the NFL Draft will go. In his latest mock draft, Kiper projected McCarthy as the No. 16 overall pick to the Seattle Seahawks — the fourth quarterback off the board and third among 2021 recruits, behind Williams and Maye.
