Earlier this week, Michigan football started its spring practices ahead of the coming season this fall. For many Wolverines fans, this is a special time of year — it finally feels like a new season is getting closer instead of being so, so far away. On Thursday, Pro Football Focus (PFF) released its “perfect” 2023 defense, and according to Brad Shepard, Rod Moore is the nation’s most well-rounded safety this year.
Rod Moore gearing up for a huge season in the Maize and Blue
Out of high school, Moore was a three-star prospect; though since arriving in Ann Arbor, you’d think he would be ranked as a four or even five-star prospect. Throughout his two seasons in the Maize and Blue, Moore has already impressed, earned a starting role, and is expected to be one of the top defensive players off the board in next year’s NFL Draft.
During his freshman season (2021) Moore saw action in 11 of the Wolverines’ 14 games — he was named Michigan’s Defensive Rookie of the Year (shared) for his freshman performance. In 2022, his sophomore season, Rod Moore earned a starting safety role and became one of the Big Ten’s best.
Moore earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention (coaches and media) and the Wolverines’ Defensive Player of the Year Award. He recorded 71 tackles (48 solo), four interceptions, and three passes defended during Michigan’s impressive 13-1 Big Ten title-winning season in 2022. Now, as we shift gears into 2023, Moore has some massive expectations as a junior leader of a loaded Wolverine defense.
What does PFF have to say about Moore?
Since Pro Football Focus ranked Rod Moore as the nation’s best all-around safety, we may as well tell you what PFF had to say about him:
“[Moore] was one of two Power Five safeties in 2022 who earned 80-plus grades both in coverage and as a run defender. The other, Alabama’s Brian Branch, is a top-10 prospect on PFF’s 2023 NFL draft big board. Moore’s four interceptions were tied for seventh among Power Five safeties.”
PFF added an important sentence further down in the article, “Moore is the best all-around safety in the nation, and he’ll emerge as a household name and a buzzworthy prospect for the ’24 draft.”
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