Getty New York Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore on October 24, 2021.
Last summer around this time, New York Jets second-round pick Elijah Moore was all the rave heading into training camp.
Although the rookie didn’t achieve his ultimate goal of leading his class in receiving yards, he did have some spectacular moments including a scorching hot seven-game stretch from Week 7 through 13 — 526 scrimmage yards and six total touchdowns. That’s 75.1 total yards and 0.86 total touchdowns per game over that span.
Unfortunately, Moore was unable to retake the field from that point on, after a lingering quad injury ended his season.
There aren’t too many knocks on the dynamic prospect as a player aside from his size. Moore’s smaller stature contributed to his slow start against more physical cornerbacks and it had also raised durability concerns for NFL suitors in the draft. That’s why fans should be ecstatic to hear about the Ole Miss product’s offseason gains.
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Race to Greatness
Moore has always displayed a supreme belief in himself since entering the league and part of that stems from having a best friend in Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. The pair have been tight since college and have been training together over the offseason once again.
Strength and conditioning coach Joey Guarascio shared the initial video of Moore and Brown racing one another on Instagram, which lead to a weight reveal from the Jet.
“Breaking the Birds” creator and Eagles reporter Thomas R. Peterson first tweeted out the video, noting the difference in weight between the pair of speedsters. Moore then corrected his 178-pound assertion.
“Elijah is 190,” the WR voiced with a smile. Brown may have won the race by a hair but Moore is the real winner during this exchange after apparently putting on 12 pounds of muscle over the offseason.
Those are some major gains Jets fans!
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2022 Additions Should Help Moore Succeed
Guarascio referred to Brown and Moore as “two savages” and “true competitors” that are always looking to compete and brave any challenge. “These two are ready for a BIG year,” the trainer added.
In Moore’s case, that prediction could be accurate. There’s no telling what the playmaker might have accomplished had he finished out the season and there has not been as much focus on him with rookies Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall joining the roster.
Pressure creates diamonds but it can also cause some disappointment. Although there may be fewer targets to go around, Moore should benefit from the offensive additions at the skill positions around him — including tight end. The youngster shouldn’t see as many double teams and top cornerbacks in coverage, allowing him to slip through the cracks with his big-play potential.
For similar reasons, Jets X-Factor analyst Michael Nania recently labeled Moore the most likely NYJ weapon to win the Offensive Player of the Year award in 2022.
“Wide receivers have won two of the past three OPOY awards,” he reasoned. “This paradigm shift has me turning my attention to Elijah Moore as the Jets’ most likely OPOY candidate. Moore created so many opportunities for big plays with his route-running last year. All he needs is for his QB to cash in on those opportunities and he can put up big numbers.”
Nania did concede that the “edge of Pro Bowl consideration” is much more realistic for the second-year wideout, and most fans would be perfectly fine with that.
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