Malachi Moore Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

School: Alabama

Class: Senior

Position: SAF

HT: 6’0

WT: 200 lbs

Background: Malachi Moore was a 4-star safety out of Trussville, Alabama, where he played for Hewitt-Trussville High School. He was one of the top safeties in his class and a top 10 player out of Alabama for the 2020 class. Moore participated in the Alabama-Mississippi All Star Game and the All-American Bowl following his high school career. Moore chose to play for Alabama over Auburn, Georgia, and Arkansas.

College: Moore earned the starting safety role as a freshman in 2020. He played well enough to earn Freshman All-American honors and was also a second team All-SEC selection. Moore picked up another All-American selection in 2021 after totaling 17 stops on the season. By 2023, Moore was a team captain and was one of the more decorated defenders in Alabama’s illustrious history. Moore was a second team All-American in 2024 despite undergoing season ending surgery in early December.

Strengths: Malachi Moore is a versatile defensive back who brings a level of physicality to the position that is rare in today’s game. Moore can play the high safety and read the offense to make a play on the ball. He can also play strong safety, where he can get closer to the box to either blitz or clog up the passing lanes in the intermediate areas of the field. He also has extensive experience playing nickel. He holds his own in man coverage against the bigger tight ends, but also the shiftier slot receivers. Moore has great length, which he uses in open space to bring down ball carriers without much help. Moore is a productive and efficient tackler, a rare trait for a defensive back. He combines his tackling ability and physicality with elite ball skills. Moore has shown his ability to either create turnovers or just get his hands on a football to disrupt a play. He gets his head around to look in the ball in the deep areas of the field without giving up too much separation.

Weaknesses: The first concern to note about Moore is his extensive injury history. He has had multiple seasons at Alabama cut short due to injury. Moore does not have elite speed to keep up with the faster receivers in the NFL. He will struggle mirroring and matching receivers with an extensive route tree at the next level. While Moore is a good run defender for the position, he can get swallowed up near the line of scrimmage in the run game.

Conclusion: Malachi Moore has a versatile background with extensive special teams experience that will surely peak the interest of NFL teams. While he is a great tackler, productive against the run, and has good ball skills, his injury history and lack of speed could prove to be his downfall.

Scheme Fit: Scheme Versatile

Ideal Role: Strong Safety

Best Team Fits: LAR, CIN, CAR

Player Comparison: TJ Ward

Player Grade: 77.9