Freshmen Faces: RJ Moten

RJ Moten is another versatile, athletic and talented player who could see action at several positions.

Coming out of Delran (N.J.) High, RJ Moten was considered a four-star prospect, the No. 255 overall player nationally and the No. 26 safety in the country according to the 247 Sports Composite. Mortan did it all in high school. He finished his prep career with 3,500 all-purpose yards and 41 touchdowns to go along with 79 solo tackles, eight sacks, eight fumble recoveries and 14 interceptions. He's also a standout baseball player. During his recruitment, Moten was viewed as an athlete who could legitimately play four or five different positions in college, but at 6-0, 200 pounds, he's listed as a defensive back on Michigan's roster.

Recruitment

Moten committed to Michigan on July 27, 2019 during a pretty hot month or more for the Wolverines. Moten was targeted by Michigan early in the process as a standout in the state of New Jersey. The very versatile athlete racked up around 25 offers over his high school career and had some very solid options to choose from. He had opportunities from schools like Boston College, Minnesota, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Penn State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin among others.

Player Breakdown/Player Comparison

Moten is another interesting prospect because of his versatility and history of playing, and excelling at, multiple positions. That versatility shows up on the football field but also landed him on MLB Draft boards.

Build wise, he's long and rangy, but also pretty thickly built and muscular. Both his lower body and upper body are pretty well filled out already and he won't have to do much to be ready for a college field early in his career. 

Because he played so many positions in high school and throughout the camp circuit, you can really see a lot of different abilities. As a running back, he's fast and physical. He doesn't shy away from contact but he can be very elusive in the open field. As a cover man, either at corner or safety, he can cover all types of receivers but really excels at safety at the back end of a defense. He's got good instincts and great ball skills making him very dangerous roaming the secondary.

Moten actually looks like a lot of safeties in the NFL because of his prototypical 6-0, 200-pound frame. Because of his versatility, ball skills and playmaking ability, I liken Moten to Chicago Bears standout Eddie Jackson.

Like Moten, Jackson shined at several positions in high school and really could've played several positions at Alabama. In fact, he started out at cornerback before bulking up a bit and shifting over to safety. Now at 6-0, 204 pounds, Jackson is one of the more dangerous, playmaking safeties in the league. He has a knack for being around the ball and his tracking skills and ability to make plays allows him to create turnovers often. Moten has the same type of skill set and should be able to become a playmaker for the Wolverines in college.

Both Moten and Jackson are dangerous with the ball in their hands look just as comfortable returning kicks as they do covering receivers and roaming the back end of a defense. Coming out of college, Jackson was billed more as a finesse player, which is where Moten is different. He has no problem sticking his face in there and really doesn't shy away from contact, whether it's on offense or defense.

2020 Outlook

Michigan is in great shape at safety heading into 2020 with senior Brad Hawkins and sophomore standout Daxton Hill holding down the top two spots. Behind them, however, it's pretty thin. Because Moten is so developed physically, he could get a look as a potential backup safety. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't play in 2020 and took a redshirt, but he could push for time in the two deep.