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With the 2013 NFL Draft upon us, I thought I would take the opportunity to watch some film on players who are typically projected in mock drafts to go around the 56th pick, which is the first pick the Seattle Seahawks have this year. I decided to scout not just all of the players who are projected to go around pick 56, but rather just the players in that area who would best fit the needs and style of the Seahawks.
This time, the prospect we will be looking at is Connecticut linebacker Sio Moore. Moore is a very versatile, confident player who is able to make big plays. In his last season at UConn, he played in all 12 games and put up impressive numbers, getting 72 tackles (15.5 tackles for loss), eight sacks, and 11 pass deflections. Moore would be a fantastic fit for the Seahawks, as they could use depth at linebacker. Moore’s versatility would allow him to compete for a starting job at outside linebacker and would be great in Seattle’s 4-3 defensive scheme. Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright already have two of the three starting spots, but Moore could push Malcolm Smith for the third one.
I’ve watched quite a bit of tape on Moore, and here’s what I gathered as far as strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths:
He’s very athletic and had one of the better 40-times for a linebacker at the NFL Combine (4.62 seconds). He’s one of the better tacklers I’ve seen out off all of the projected second round defensive players I’ve watched tape on so far, and he rarely misses a tackle. He’s really good at anticipating in the open field and stopping players from getting any extra yardage. Has very long arms and uses them to his advantage in wrapping up ball-carriers. He’s very versatile and can be used at any of the linebacker positions or as an edge pass rusher.
Weaknesses:
He’s a bit small at only 6’1″ but does make up for that a bit with his athleticism. He could stand to add some bulk as well as strength, as he relies too much on his speed to get around stronger blockers. If he doesn’t get stronger, he will struggle at the NFL level. He is quick, but struggles to keep up with smaller, quicker ball carriers.
Follow Connor Hutyler on Twitter @ConnorHutyler.
