New York Giants Draft Prospect: CB Riley Moss, Iowa

The New York Giants cornerback depth, so what could Iowa's Riley Moss bring to the table?

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Feb 17, 2023 1:23 PM EST

In this story:

Riley Moss, CB

Height: 6-foot
Weight: 193 lbs.
Class: RS-Senior
School: Iowa
Arm length: 30 ⅜”
Wingspan: 73 ⅜”
Hand size: 9 ⅛”
Age: 22 (born 3/3/2000)

A former two-star recruit out of Ankeny Centennial High School in Ankeny, Iowa, where he was the 248th CB recruit and the 13th-ranked Iowian prospect in the 2018 recruiting cycle. Moss was a productive high school athlete who was not highly recruited; he initially committed to attend FCS’ North Dakota State but opted to stay in state at Iowa.

Notables

An accomplished two-year starter for Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Returned to Iowa for his fifth season after an impressive 2021 campaign where he had 5 PBUs and four interceptions with a catch rate of 53.5%. Returned to school in 2022 and allowed only a 47.7% catch rate with 8 PBUs and one interception, albeit he allowed four touchdowns.

Finishes his time at Iowa with 11 interceptions, 20 PBUs, 140 tackles, 49 STOPs, and a catch rate of 53.6%. He was typically the field-side CB. Earned First-Team All-Big-Ten in the last two seasons while winning the Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year award in 2021. He was also an AP Third-Team All-American in 2021. Suffered a torn PCL in 2021 that held him out of three games. Attended the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

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Strengths

Solid size and athlete, albeit there are some questions
Quick feet to mirror routes in man coverage - solid overall hip mobility while up the route stem - some tightness at the LOS
Patient with solid footwork at the line of scrimmage in press
Strong off-hand jam on the LOS
Quick reactive ability in man coverage - possesses solid overall change of direction, lateral movement skills, and explosiveness out of quick cuts to stay in phase while operating in man coverage
Great understanding and eye discipline as a zone defender

MIN Q4, 2:20, 3rd & 7
NW Q3, 0:12, 3rd & 7

Quick click & close on routes underneath him
Very good ball skills
Great knack for aggressively attacking WRs hands at the catch point
Excellent technique and ability to play through the catch point
Elite competitive toughness at the catch point
Very aggressive and willing in run support
Physical - Packs a punch coming downhill

Rutgers: Q4, 5:48, 2nd & 1
NW: Q3, 14:35, 2nd & 2
Illinois: Q2, 4:23, 2nd & 10 - Fumble

Weaknesses

Lacks length, sub 31” arms
Recovery speed could be an issue at the next level
Burst out of press alignment whilst flipping his hips were questionable
Beat around his outside at times in press or Cover-3

Kentucky: Q2, 14:46, 1st & 10
Illinois: Q4, 12:35 1st & 10
Nebraska: Q1, 11:48 1st & 10
Iowa State: Q2, 4:51, 1st & 10

How quickly can he accelerate after flipping his hips to reach top speed?
Packs a punch with momentum coming downhill but is a little lighter in the pants

Was specifically on display in the Senior Bowl, where Illinois’ Chase Brown annihilated him at the goal-line

Two touchdowns were surrendered playing inside-out (Rutgers and Iowa State)

Could improve locating ability while executing that leverage

Rumors about a potential move to safety
Appreciate his hitting ability, but he can be reckless as a tackler (17 missed tackles over the last two seasons)

Summary

Riley Moss uses good technique when in phase to disrupt receivers at the catch point, and he’s an aggressive run support player on the outside. He’s not an elite athlete, but there’s enough athletic ability within his profile to warrant him a legitimate shot at CB. I don’t think his man coverage ability is as big of an issue as others; however, I question his recovery speed when he is in a disadvantageous position early in a rep.

Iowa used him a lot on MEG (man everywhere he goes) coverage to the field (wide) side; it appeared like, against a non-elite quarterback, he would assume a trail-type position to the field side while he was well outside the divider line. Was that a coaching point? He did not execute that same leverage/technique against better quarterbacks.

I love how he uses his eyes and route recognition to put himself at an advantage while in zone coverage. Love his ability at the catch point, but he did surrender two touchdowns playing inside out (chest to chest facing WR) in the red zone; he failed to locate the football in both situations, or he misjudged the contact against Rutgers and Iowa State. Moss has a solid overall profile with some questions that may be answered at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

GRADE: 6.14