Top Running Backs in NFL Draft: Zack Moss

Utah’s bruising Zack Moss checks in at No. 5 in our ranking of the top running backs in the NFL Draft.

Utah’s bruising Zack Moss checks in at No. 5 in our ranking of the top running backs in the NFL Draft.

Utah’s Zack Moss was a pain.

“I’ve heard people say, just by looking at me, they want to get into a cold tub,” Moss said at the Scouting Combine.

Moss piled up 4,067 rushing yards, 38 rushing touchdowns and 66 receptions during a superb four-year career. The yardage and touchdown totals set school records. As a senior, he produced career-high totals of 1,416 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns and 13.9 yards per catch; his 28 receptions were one off his career high. He was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and earned some All-American honors. He had three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons to cap his career, even though he missed the final five games of the 2018 season with a knee injury sustained at practice.

Ohio State’s J.K Dobbins and Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor put up gaudy numbers with a barrage of breakaway runs. Moss did it with one thundering run after another. According to Sports Info Solutions, Moss ranks No. 1 in the draft class with 4.1 yards after contact per carry and a missed-tackle rate of 35 per every 100 rushes. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranked second in the nation with 89 missed tackles and eighth with 1,042 yards after contact.

“Just my lower center of gravity,” Moss said. “The way I carry my lower body when I’m running and knowing exactly how defenders want to tackle me, and making sure I finish all my runs in a fashion so that the next time they do try to make a tackle that it’s a business decision.”

He added: “Over my career, I’ve seen guys make a lot of business decisions. That’s what I try to do. When the next team puts on that tape, I want the guys know that it’s not going to be an easy game.”

Moss has NFL genetics. He is cousins with Santana Moss, an All-American at Miami who had more than 10,000 yards receiving during a 14-year NFL career, and Sinorice Moss, a second-round draft pick out of Miami who spent six years in the NFL. The Utes can thank a snowstorm for getting the Miami native to make the trek to Utah.

What we like

At 5-foot-9 3/8 and 223 pounds, Moss has the build and style that would make him a natural for a cold-weather team that desires a grind-it-out back. Most of his carries came on zone runs. And he almost never put the ball on the ground. While he’s not a dynamic player in the open field, he’s a three-down back because he can catch (one drop) and protect.

“I’m a guy that you never have to take off the field,” he said. “In my time at Utah, I was used on third down and fourth down, if it was passing, blocking, fourth-and-1, no matter what it was, I was always on the field. So everything that you need a guy to do in the backfield, I can definitely do.”

What we don’t like

With 4.65 speed in the 40, Moss isn’t an explosive athlete – though his 10-yard split was considerable faster than average. More than that, what makes his style so fun and so effective could ultimately lead to his demise. Moss either isn’t able or isn’t willing to string together a series of moves, meaning he’s susceptible to a lot of punishment. Marshawn Lynch survived with a punishing style; can Moss last through a season? Through several seasons?

“Physicality,” he said, “makes people quit.”

Bill's NFL Draft Series

Top 15 Running Backs

No. 1: Georgia’s D’Andre Swift

No. 2: Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins

No. 3: Florida State’s Cam Akers

No. 4: Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor

No. 5: Utah’s Zack Moss

The best of the rest leads with LSU standout

Top 13 Quarterbacks

No. 1: LSU’s Joe Burrow

No. 2: Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa

No. 3: Oregon’s Justin Herbert

No. 4: Utah State’s Jordan Love

No. 5: Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts

The best of the rest