Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore is considered one of the top 2027 NFL Draft prospects early. What does he bring to the table?
Height:6-2
Weight:197 pounds
Year:Junior
Pro Comparison: Nnamdi Asomugha
Possesses a rare combination of size, length, and movement skills
Moore boasts the recovery speed to match most wide receivers vertically
He has a ton of experience playing in man coverage, both inside and out
Brings some rare hip fluidity and change of direction skills for a cornerback of his size
Feet can get a little lazy when firing out of his back pedal
Moore's run game impact can be a bit inconsistent, tackling too high at times
He doesn't always locate the football in the air well enough
When Moore originally committed to Notre Dame, there was a large portion of the fanbase that wasn't too thrilled based on his recruiting rankings. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Moore finished ranked as a four-star, the No. 432 overall player, the No. 38 cornerback, and the No. 67 player from the state of Texas for the 2024 recruiting class. The majority of major recruitment platforms had Moore pegged as a three-star player.
Despite those lower rankings, a healthy number of programs pursued Moore. The Fighting Irish were able to win out over an offer list that included Oregon, Missouri, Arizona State, Arizona, Kansas State, TCU, Colorado, Baylor, Houston, Cal, Duke, and Washington State, among others.
After serving as a backup early in 2024, Moore earned a starting position and has been stellar since then. In 26 games over the last two years, the talented cover man has managed to collect 79 total tackles, seven interceptions, 18 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and two tackles for loss. Moore was selected as a Freshman All-American in 2024 and a consensus All-American this past season.
Despite walking into a deeper cornerback room, Moore was able to create some noise early during his freshman season. After a hip injury to Benjamin Morrison during that year, Moore was able to take advantage of that early opportunity. Blessed with a long frame and reach, he can be an incredibly disruptive player at the catch point. Moore is also very quick for his size and possesses outstanding long speed. There isn't a type of wide receiver that he can't match up against, despite being a bit high-cut as an athlete. His man coverage upside is spectacular.
The areas of improvement to watch for Moore center around his technique. With Moore excelling so much in press-man coverage, there are some inconsistencies when he is asked to play in off coverage. Moore clearly trusts his athleticism, but can get a bit lazy working in and out of his pedal. He may trust his recovery speed a bit too much, which can cause opposing wide receivers to create some easy separation at the top of routes. Consistently locating the football and impacting the run game are a couple of other key areas for Moore to focus on.
Barring injury, Moore has the look of an elite cornerback prospect who could toe the line of the generational label. For a team that loves to run man coverage, this is the type of player who comes in and becomes a premier player early. There is no reason why Moore can eventually become one of the top five cornerbacks in the NFL.
