By: Michael Higgins

School: Alabama

Class: Senior

Position: SAF

HT: 6’0

WT: 198 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #31

Background: Malachi Moore was a 4-star recruit out of Trussville, Alabama. He went to high school at Hewitt-Trussville High School and became one of the 10 best recruits in the state. Moore played in multiple All-American games and participated in “The Opening”. As a senior he recorded four interceptions while playing both safety and cornerback throughout the year, returning two for touchdowns. Out of high school, he was deciding between SEC schools such as Auburn, Alabama, and Arkansas, ultimately choosing his home state Crimson Tide.

College: As a freshman in 2020, Moore was placed in the starting lineup of a subpackage scheme. He played star and was selected to the All-SEC Team as a freshman. As a sophomore, Moore tallied 17 total stops in 15 games played. He was a preseason Third Team All-American. In 2022, he was once again a consistent presence at the top of the Alabama defense. He was again a preseason All-American pick for the second straight season. As a senior, Moore was given the honor of being named a permanent Alabama team captain after another prolific season.

Strengths: Malachi Moore is a heavy hitting defensive back who has played a seemingly even mix of nickel and safety throughout his career at Alabama. Moore is an instinctive player who takes good routes to the ball. Moore has natural feel in zone coverage, whether he is at nickel or traditional safety. He gets low in his backpedal with loose hips. He is able to turn into a sprint easily. Malachi has the length to play corner from anywhere on the field. For a safety, he has decent ball skills and can use his long arms to break up passes. The length also makes him better at shedding blocks when defending the run. Moore imposes his will on every snap, playing hard and laying the boom every chance he gets.

Weaknesses: Malachi Moore has the length and ball skills to play boundary corner, but he does not have adequate enough speed to keep up with the best receivers in the NFL. Moore has had his bouts with injuries, which will be something to monitor as he transitions to the NFL.

Conclusion: Malachi Moore has all the makings of a key piece in an NFL secondary, he has his limitations but he will have a significant role in any NFL defense.

Scheme Fit: Zone Coverage

Ideal Role: Nickel

Best Team Fits: ARI, GB, LV

Player Comparison: Jayron Kearse

Player Grade: 86.3