Pro comps for wide receivers the Ravens could target early in the draft: Elijah Moore

The 2021 NFL Draft is inching closer and closer, and it is full of promising prospects at positions of need for the Baltimore Ravens. This is the third of the professional comparison series for wide receivers that they could target in the early rounds.

Pro comparison: Stefon Diggs

Ole Miss has produced two of the best and most physical wide receivers to come into the league the last few years with D.K. Metcalf and A.J. Brown currently making a name for themselves and already dominating in the league.

While neither Moore nor anyone for that matter is built like or even resembles the physique of Metcalf and has similar traits to Brown, he most resembles the Buffalo Bills’ top target in the passing game in both playing style and consistency.

He put up modest numbers as a freshman during Brown and Metcalf’s final season in 2018 and saw his role in the offense and production increase in the years that followed. He declared for the draft after a sensational junior campaign, where he put up career highs across the board while playing in four fewer games than he played in his first two years.

In just eight games, he hauled in 86 passes for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns and averaged 13.9 yards per catch. He led the Rebels in all four categories in each of the last two years, but what made his 2020 season the most impressive was the circumstances of playing during a pandemic before opting out for the final few games of the year.

Diggs began his career with the Minnesota Vikings before being traded to the Bills last offseason, and in his first season with the team, he led the NFL in targets (166), receptions (127), and receiving yards (1,535).

Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images

Moore and Diggs both possess strong hands, run pristine routes, are slippery in the open field, fight through contact, and are strong possession receivers. Both were projected to be high-end slot options at the next level. However, Diggs has shown he can do it all plus some and Moore is capable of doing the same.

While he’d be an ideal fit in a predominantly spread pass-heavy offense, his ability to separate quickly paired with his consistency catching the football make him suitable to play in any offense.

His double moves are deadly; the way he glides through the second and third level once he catches the ball and gets a full head of steam is reminiscent of the Pro Bowl wideout, as well.

Despite being in a run-heavy offense and playing 1B to Adam Thielen in Minnesota, Diggs was able to stand out during the first five years of his career. Even though he was never the face of the franchise or the focal point of the offense, Diggs was consistently productive in a play-action heavy passing attack and showed just how dangerous he could be when targeted more with the Bills in 2020.

At 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, Moore is a couple of inches shorter than Diggs and a few pounds lighter. They were both considered undersized coming out of college, but unlike Diggs who slipped all the way to the fifth round of the 2015 draft out of Maryland, Moore is entering the league at a time where players of their archetype are more sought after and are coming off the board much earlier than in years past.