Before he left Alabama last year, coach Nick Saban offered Crimson Tide defensive back Malachi Moore some sage advice in his pursuit of playing on Sundays.
While Moore helped the Crimson Tide secondary a great deal in his first four years with his versatility, Saban felt he needed to stay to focus on one position in his final season in Tuscaloosa.
“I was talking to Coach (Nick) Saban and he was saying that the League liked my versatility, but they want to see me master one position, so that ultimately led me having to change to safety, strictly safety and that’s what they wanted to see me do and I feel like I did that [last] year,” Moore said.
Yes, he did, and that caught the eye of the Jets brass, who jumped on him in the fourth round.
“Malachi Moore is a guy we targeted,” said Jets GM Darren Mougey. “Obviously, a very instinctive, tough player. He was a team captain, he’s made of the right stuff at safety. He was a guy we really coveted.”
And while he mainly focused on safety last year, all that experience moving around to different positions during his five seasons in Tuscaloosa enhanced his coverage skills and the confidence in his ability to cover any position.
“My best attribute is definitely man-to-man,” Moore said. “Just having that four-year experience playing (cornerback) in the SEC has definitely prepared me to go to safety.”
Moore could turn into the Swiss Army knife of the Jets’ secondary with his ability to play all over.
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