The Broncos selected Iowa cornerback Riley Moss, 23, with the 83rd overall pick, in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Moss started 38 games over five seasons with the Hawkeyes. He ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and posted a 39-inch vertical.
Here’s what you need to know about Riley Moss:
He scored twice in one game
The best game of Moss’ career came in Week 1 of the 2021 season.
Iowa took on Michael Penix Jr.’s Indiana Hoosiers and Moss made his presence felt. Not only did he pick off Penix twice, but he also returned both of those interceptions for touchdowns.
He’s a hurdler
Moss was a dual-sport athlete in high school, and you could make a strong case that football wasn’t the best one.
Moss posted a 13.85-second time in the 110-meter hurdles at the Iowa state meet. The time was good enough for a state championship, a state record and a top-10 finish nationally.
“As a hurdler, you have to be explosive, and you have to have great hips. Same thing with DB,” he told The Athletic. “So that really helped me, especially going to Iowa just already having that flexibility, hip movement and explosive qualities.”
He was one of Louis Riddick’s draft sleepers
ESPN’s Louis Riddick is one of the league’s top draft analysts, and he had Moss’ name circled on his draft board. Riddick named Moss one of five sleepers to watch.
On the field, he is comfortable in press or off-coverage, with a super-fluid movement style, quick feet, very good short-area acceleration and the top-end long speed to run with the best receivers in the NFL in the deeper parts of the field. His instincts, pattern recognition and finishing skills are also all very good, helping him to 11 career interceptions and three pick-sixes.
Moss also shows absolutely no hesitation in run support or as a tackler when it comes to the physical side of the game. He will put big hits on receivers and running backs when the opportunities are there. I have no doubt he will make an immediate impact in sub-defenses or on special teams in his rookie season — and that’s just a starting point.
– Louis Riddick
It’s a surprise that Moss didn’t get more attention in the pre-draft process, considering Pro Football Focus graded him out as the top cover corner in the draft over the course of his career.
He played in his bowl game
Most draft prospects pass on playing in their final bowl game. The month of practice before the game can be better spent prepping for draft workouts and an injury during practice or the game could cost a player millions of dollars.
But Moss and other Iowa draft prospects tight end Sam LaPorta and linebacker Jack Campbell decided to play.
“With the transfer portal and people getting paid a lot of money and people just not playing in bowl games anymore, it’s definitely a different landscape for college football,” Moss told The Athletic. “Guys like me and Campbell, Sam LaPorta, we’ve been doing it the entire year, but it’s very important to make sure that we keep on leading and showing the younger guys what’s right and what’s wrong because we’re not going to be there next year. This is our last shot to do it.”
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