Getty New York Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore walks in for a touchdown with Ole Miss on September 8, 2018.
Second-round pick Elijah Moore has been nothing less than spectacular since arriving at One Jets Drive.
Most recently, the rookie fought his way into the starting wide receiver alignment, getting snaps alongside Corey Davis and Jamison Crowder.
Even if Gang Green does still plan to use a heavy rotation as Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur have alluded to, this is a big deal for a first-year player in a veteran group. This is another example of how when Moore sets his sights on something, he doesn’t seem to stop working until he gets it — but where does all this steadfast motivation come from?
Jets beat reporter Connor Hughes had the inside scoop in his most recent article on The Athletic.
The names are on his mirror in black ink. The first thing Elijah Moore sees each morning, last before falling asleep
Chase. Waddle. Smith. Toney. Bateman
The #Jets rookie refuses to forget those wideouts drafted before him
“A chip? You could say that” t.co/UEvSCJygf9
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Moore’s Bathroom Mirror Has Shades of Arya Stark
If this sounds familiar to Game of Thrones fans, it should. Moore is basically channeling his inner Arya Stark with his list of names on his bathroom mirror.
Hughes narrated: “The names are there. Etched in thick black ink with an Expo marker. One under the next. It’s the first thing Elijah Moore sees when he looks in his bathroom mirror at the Archer Hotel each morning, and the last before turning off the lights to fall asleep.”
Moore’s list includes every wide receiver that was drafted before him in 2021; Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, Kadarius Toney, Rashod Bateman.
Elijah Moore (@e_moore03) every morning of training camp. 🤺 💪
“Moore never wants to forget those names. He won’t let himself forget those names,” wrote Hughes, but that’s not all the Ole Miss product keeps on his mirror.
The beat reporter noted: “The wideout has quotes there, too — some by famous people, others unknown, and several by coaches. Anytime he hears or reads something he likes, he types it up in his phone, then transfers it to his mirror. He’s been doing this for as long as he can remember. Sometimes, these things change. He’ll hear a new quote. He’ll read a new saying. He’ll feel one word is more powerful than another, so he switches it. Just two things on his mirror are always left untouched. Those five names. Then a series of numbers. 88. 1,400. 8.”
Get hyped Jets fans, because those numbers are actually statistics. That’s the rookie receiving record that Minnesota Vikings wide-out Justin Jefferson set in 2020 and remember, Moore never quits when he sets a goal for himself.
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Is There an NFL Comparison for Moore?
The two comparisons I’ve always heard for the Jets rookie were Antonio Brown and Tyler Lockett. I’ve also seen a ceiling of Tyreek Hill because of the size and the dynamic speed. Hughes added another name in his article, Odell Beckham Jr.
Moore isn’t too crazy about any of these comps though. “I watch everyone and everything,” he told Hughes. The rookie continued: “I feel like I’m different than [Beckham and Brown] because I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do, that’s not saying they’re limited, but it looks different with me. Which it should. I don’t feel like I play like anybody, but I watch everybody.”
Zach Wilson 💣 to Elijah Moore 👀
(🎥 @stephenrusso9)
If you thought Zach Wilson was a film junkie, read this profile about Moore. It’s absolutely incredible! This athlete doesn’t just want to make it, he needs to, and there’s a huge difference.
We’ve talked about it in the past. That extra 10% of ambition, drive and passion, that’s how you become number one in a league as competitive as this.
And make no mistake, Moore is striving for that number one spot.
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Why Sign up for the Athletic?
There is so much more to this Hughes article (no pun intended). The beat reporter profiles the rookie’s entire offseason and training camp, with quotes from teammates and college coaches. He also details Moore’s film study rituals and provides an inside look behind the curtain of the wide receiver’s nightly routine.
Click here for the link to the full article.
Hughes routinely produces some of my favorite Jets content and I highly recommend his work. If interested, The Athletic is currently running a 50% off promotion for new readers.
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Jets’ Elijah Moore Keeps a List of Names, Plans to Be Number One