William Moore | Missouri, SS : 2009 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile

Draft Scout Snapshot: DS Rating on 8/24/08: #1 FS, #7/750 Overall, Projected Rnd: 1
2008: The team captain and Thorpe Award semi-finalist earned All-Big Twelve Conference first-team honors from the league's coaches, picking up second-team accolades from the Associated Press, Kansas City Star and Houston Chronicle�Member of the Nagurski Award and Lott Trophy preseason Watch Lists�Started eleven of twelve games he played in, missing the Southeast Missouri clash after he suffered a right foot sprain in the season opener vs. Illinois�Re-injured his foot vs. Nevada, sitting out the Buffalo contest�Left the Big Twelve Championship Game vs. Oklahoma with rib cartilage damage�Still managed to rank fourth on the team with 86 tackles (55 solos), including a 10-yard sack, 6.5 stops for losses of 19 yards and a pressure�Paced the Tigers with three forced fumbles and had six pass deflections along with a 17-yard interception return for a touchdown...Moore started 32-of-48 games at Missouri, recording 284 tacklers (182 solos), ranking 15th on the school overall career-record list and that total was the fourth-highest by a Tigers defensive back, topped by Jason Simpson (331, 2002-05), Erik McMillan (323, 1984-87) and Adrian Jones (319, 1986-89)�Registered three sacks for minus 31 yards, 17.0 stops for losses totaling 67 yards and four quarterback pressures�Recovered one fumble and caused six others�Deflected 22 passes and had eleven interceptions for 162 yards, breaking Erik McMillan's school career-record (three) by returning four of those thefts for touchdowns�2007: 14 GP; 14 GS; 71 Sol-115 TT, 9 TFL, 2 SK, 8 INT, 5 PBU, 2 QBH, 2 FF; Second team All-Big 12. Emerged as one of the nation's top playmakers at safety, as he tied for the NCAA lead with a school-record 8 interceptions � His development throughout the course of the season was a major reason why the Tiger defense turned into one of the better ones in the Big 12 Conference, and his leadership after the defense lost fellow safety Pig Brown in game eight for the year was crucial � Had 5 INTs and 2 forced fumbles in the 6 games after Brown was lost for the year 2006: 13 GP; 4 GS; 33 Sol-51 TT, 1.5 TFL, 1 INT, 8 PBU, 1 FR; Made big plays as a sophomore on both defense and special teams.

Post-Draft Outlook: BEST PICK: Missouri safety William Moore was a projected top-10 pick for the 2008 draft, but elected to return to school. He was slowed by a mid-ankle sprain and his stock dropped. He is a fierce hitter and plays well in coverage. He started his career as a nickel back. A closer look at the Falcons' picks: Round 2/55 -- William Moore, SS, 6-1, 221, Missouri...At this time last year, Moore was projected to be a top-10 pick if he'd entered the 2008 draft. He was slowed by an ankle injury last season and his weight fluctuated. He's known as an intimidator who delivers punishing hits, but the Falcons timed him at 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash. "He's a strong safety-slash-free safety. He definitely has the versatility. He is a downhill, blow you up, kind of tackler. He also has range. He's a mid-4-4 guy, so he also has speed. ... This guy definitely brings speed and urgency to our football team." - by The Sports Xchange