Todd McShay highlights concerns in DeAndre Moore Jr. as NFL prospect

Texas wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. showed some pros and some cons in his first real year on tape, according to Todd McShay. How he develops this year now as a junior could be the difference for him as far as a name in the 2026 NFL Draft.

McShay evaluated Moore amongst his top seven receivers for the NFL Draft on ‘The McShay Show’ earlier this week. That’s with him through a pair of seasons, with some opportunities had so far with the Longhorns.

“Interesting. He’s an interesting cat,” McShay said. “Like, limited on special teams as a freshman, 2023. Last year, with Matthew Golden, Gunnar Helm, Isaiah Bond who was up and down, more down than up. They’re all gone, though, and he still was third on the team, only 39 catches, 456 yards, 11.7 (yards per catch), and seven touchdowns. He’s a slot receiver for me, and that’s what he was for Coach Sark last year.”

Moore saw a role appear for him in the receiving corps last season, finishing fifth in receptions and receiving yards while tying for second in receiving touchdowns with seven. He’s now their second-leading receiver back with Ryan Wingo also there still after his true freshman year.

As of now, McShay sees pro-level speed and quickness with Moore. That’s something that reflected from the tape over and over, which might limit where he can line up but are traits that certainly won’t hurt him in college or the next level.

“I’m not saying he doesn’t have inside-out potential. He’s 6’0, 195. Estimated like 4.44, something like mid-4.4s, okay,” McShay said. “Positives, what jumped out? Sharp. Sudden off the line of scrimmage. Uncovers quickly. Reaches top gear quickly. I watched him run past the Mississippi State DB. I was like, ‘Oh, great. Show me someone good’. Then he did it to Florida’s DB, you know what I mean…So I got to see, like, the true, on-field speed. I think he’s really agile, light on his feet. It’s like, he’s got that suddenness you’re looking for. Really good acceleration out of his breaks, which is critical to me in terms of separating in the NFL, college alike.”

“At his best versus single coverage. I don’t think he’s savvy enough yet in terms of, like, zone, understanding. He’s just, I’m faster than you, I’m more agile than you, I’m a better athlete than you. They’re going to hide me in the slot. If you want to move your perimeter corner inside here, then you’ve got to cover Matthew Golden or somebody out there. So I’m probably going to get a nickel, occasionally I’m going to get a free, right, and so I’m just like, mano a mano, right,” continued McShay. “It’s going to be interesting to see, now that he is the guy, or is projected to be and should be the guy if not one of the top two guys, is it just from the slot, can he do it on the outside versus perimeter corners? But the tape doesn’t like that he’s got the agility, the quickness, the suddenness, the acceleration – both out of cuts and off the line of scrimmage.”

However, as for the negative, McShay is concerned about Moore’s catching. He sees him using too much of his body rather than his hands as an issue he has with his game.

“I think we’re burying the lead on DeAndre Moore. He’s a body-catcher. That’s the first note I put in – body-catcher. Is this a problem? Too many drops, 11.1 percentage last year – 15th percentile. Fights it on tape. Stats actually do match up here, which I wrote may not always be the case,” explained McShay. “He’s trying to pull it in with his body, and I made notes before…Body-catchers, almost all of them, not all but almost all? They’re guys who fight the ball. They’re not confident. Just not like, (pop), you know.”

That wasn’t an end-all, be-all with Moore, especially as he comes into another season with even more of an opportunity, for McShay. That’s why he’s excited to see him take the field this year and see how much he and his stock improve as a receiver prospect come next spring, potentially, in 2026.

“This is why we do this. Let’s get a foundation. Who is the guy now? Where can he improve?” said McShay. “So, I’m pumped. I want to see this season. I want to see what he does at Texas with Arch Manning. I want to see how much he’s worth…So, we’re going to see and all eyes are on Texas this year and Arch throwing him the ball.”

“I’m excited to see it because you got to expect improvement, and you know he’s got the right resources and everyone’s working with him to get better in that area,” McShay said. “And, if he does? He’s got potential, man.”