Denver Broncos: Damontre Moore to Fill Elvis Dumervil Void in 2013 NFL Draft?


Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Damontre Moore has provided a classic example of a worst-case scenario of an NFL combine showing. A virtual-lock according to many in early February as the next terrifying edge-rusher to come out of Texas A&M, Moore has seen a precipitous drop in the weeks since.

Before the harsh month of March chewed up Moore’s draft stock and spit it out, NFL.com’s Albert Breer and Brian Billick both had Moore going top five. Now some respected draftniks don’t even have him going in the first two rounds. Moore represents two often-colliding key areas of emphasis: the pre- and post-combine spin.

Obviously, the end-all-be-all won’t come down to the opinion of Aggies alum Von Miller. However, if Miller’s pre-draft mentoring of Moore is any indication of where Denver Broncos vice president of football operation John Elway is leaning — probably coincidental if anything— then Moore could find himself landing somewhere between the ends of the mock-draft spectrum: The Denver Broncos select at pick No. 28 and just so happen to have pass-rushing need at the defensive end spot opposite Miller.

The departure of Elvis Dumervil, following the suspicious contract faxing debacle, clears the way for a man of Moore’s skills. Granted, Miller fared just fine in 2012 even with Dumervil growing rather lackluster at the 4-3 defensive end spot opposite Miller’s side, grading out only 44th among 62 qualifying 4-3 defensive ends according to Pro Football Focus.

It’s still smart to find ways to free up Miller to show even more dominance and claim the first Defensive Player of the Year award of his young career, and Moore’s formed a versatile component that could help the cause. Moore notched 8.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss at linebacker before switching to down-end his final collegiate year. His underwhelming 4.95 40-yard dash has lingered on minds since the combine but his 6-5 height, hair-under 35 inch-arms, burst and pass-rush savvy can mitigate his poor straight0line speed greatly at the NFL level.

Thomas Emerick is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEmerick, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google


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