Gut Reaction: Broncos Trade Up, Select Iowa CB Riley Moss

Was the trade-up a good move for the Denver Broncos? And what about Riley Moss, the player?

The Denver Broncos began Day 2 of the 2023 NFL draft with two selections in the third round but quickly maneuvered into a position to pick three players between Rounds 2-3.

The Broncos traded pick No. 108 and a 2024 third-rounder to the Seattle Seahawks to move up to No. 83 to grab Iowa cornerback Riley Moss. After taking Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders at pick No. 68, Moss became the second defender the Broncos procured for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s unit.

Was the trade-up to grab Moss a wise one? And is he a good fit for the Broncos? Let's dive in. 

Resume/Stats

Moss' draft stock has been on the rise since his dynamic performance at both cornerback and safety at the Senior Bowl, where I evaluated him up close. Moss is an Iowa native who was quietly recruited by North Dakota State as an accomplished dual-sport athlete in football and track in high school. He received a late offer from his native Hawkeyes during his senior season and decomitted from NDSU.

Moss was designated as a blue-shirt, which meant he did not have an athletic scholarship until January of his freshman season at Iowa. Despite the unusual request made by the Hawkeyes, Moss left his fingerprints in his home state, playing five seasons in the Big Ten, appearing in 43 games and totaling 158 tackles (123 solo), five tackles for a loss, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, 26 passes defended, and 11 interceptions. 

He also scored three touchdowns. Moss was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection and the Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year.

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Skill Set

A deceptively quick athlete, the 6-foot-1, 193-pound Moss posted an official 4.45-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. His decorated high school track career in 110-meter hurdles also allows him to utilize a unique ability to jump (39-inch vertical) and stretch when guarding opponents. 

After watching Ross’ game film, it’s clear that he has a natural ball-hawk element paired with exceptionally soft hands for a defensive back. While he’s somewhat undersized for what’s becoming a taller and heavier prototypical NFL cornerback, his fundamental tackling and hitting ability make him a candidate to play safety as well. 

Moss will likely be tasked with gaining some healthy muscle, similar to what the Broncos did with Justin Simmons when he was selected out of Boston College in the third round back in 2016. Moss has faced skepticism and some criticism for being a "white corner," but he's seemingly comfortable with his identity and makes his presence felt on the gridiron. 

Broncos head coach Sean Payton was asked to tackle the "white corner" topic on Friday night after Day 2 of the draft, specifically in comparison to Jason Sehorn, a former New York Giants cornerback (and also the then-St. Louis Rams).

“Jason, uniquely, was different. Jason played safety in college," Payton said on Friday night. "That’s an unusual conversion, regardless of who you are and where you’re from. He moved from safety to corner... It’s too easy to say does [Moss] remind you of Jason. I would say there’s other corners we compare [Moss] to. If there was one player in this draft that—I don’t know how much film we watched, but we picked and tugged and hosed down and looked at every tape. He was in [for a Top-30 visit]. All the numbers, prototype—we loved the make-up. We spent as much time on this player because this was one of these players that we felt like in the very beginning was going to be one of these decisions. Sure enough, he was."

With a propensity for picking the pocket of larger and smaller receivers with deflections and turnovers, Moss is a thumper and will initiate contact whenever he sees the opportunity, so a conversion to safety shouldn't be ruled out. 

The 23-year-old enters a defensive backfield in Denver that includes safeties Simmons, P.J. Locke, Caden Sterns, Delarrin Turner-Yell, and cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II, Damarri Mathis, K’Waun Williams, and Essang Bassey. Interestingly enough, when Moss’ name was called during the NFL draft, he was described as a “defensive back,” rather than a corner or safety, specifically.

Gut Reaction

Special teams contributions matter with this selection. However, Moss’ impact could be felt sooner than you’d expect. 

The AFC West is loaded with explosive quarterbacks and wide receivers that pose a significant threat to Denver’s defense. Moss was likely selected to supplement the role of Kareem Jackson, who was at one time a versatile corner-turned-safety in his own right.

As GM George Paton has famously coined during his tenure, “Corner is a premium position.” 

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