The Atlanta Falcons picked up William Moore, S Missouri, with their second round selection (23rd pick in the second round; 55 overall. To be honest, I know very little about this Moore kid, but after doing some research on him seems to have a shot at starting. The scuttlebutt on Moore is that his value fell after an injury plagued senior year, and his coverage instincts are poor at best.
The FalconInsider @ scout.com thinks that Moore may not be a day one starter, but whatever concerns were on there on Moore, the Falcons got a second round gift.
“Brian McIntyre’s Take: Because of his combination of size, speed and versatility, I had Moore as the top safety in the draft. I was very surprised that the Falcons were in position to take him without having to burn a later round draft pick to move up to do so. It’s probably too early to say with any certainty if Moore will start in Week One, but the competition with second-year safety Thomas DeCoud should be one to watch during training camp.”
The Falcons have to find an immediate replace for Lawyer. No offense to DeCoud, but if Moore is not the replacement, this pick is suspect at best. Day One selections are for starters, unless you are the Super Bowl favorites and you are building depth. Day Two is when you pickup up a surprise starter, and strengthen your roster by getting some value plays.
When it is all said and done, I think Moore will be the starting strong safety. Why? Take a look at Moore’s numbers last year (2008 Missouri Season Statistics) and then compare them to his junior season (2007 Missouri Season Statistics). If Moore’s numbers last year fell due to injuries, and Moore can play healthy, the Falcons just got a steal of a deal.
