For a recovering Denver Broncos team, they need all the change they can get, Riley Moss at safety is a start.
Maybe the name Jason Sehorn means something to you. It probably doesn’t. Sehorn was the last white cornerback to start in the NFL from 1996 to 2002. Next up is Riley Moss, over 20 years later. For a lot of fans, it’s a time of reckoning– the University of Iowa product was relatively unknown until his draft stock started to skyrocket early in the 2022 season. Drafted in the third round by the Denver Broncos, the two decade long drought might finally be over.
Semantics aside, Moss’ selection means a lot more than just for the purpose of diversity, equity, and inclusion. It represents a true changing of the flags in Denver. Nathaniel Hackett’s brief tumultuous stint is over and Sean Payton has stepped up to try and steer an unruly ship from the cliffs.
Riley Moss in the secondary might be just the way to do that.
Moss’ path to the NFL wasn’t easy by any stretch of imagination, instead was baptized by fire ever since he stepped foot on a football field. From booing in his freshman year against Purdue to not seeing any valuable starting varsity time in high school until he was a junior– his journey to being a third round draft pick was far from clear-cut.
Riley Moss’ talent was apparent very young, but yet controlling it and being able to use his skills in a controlled environment was always a challenge. A two-star recruit coming out of high school landed him a walk-on offer at Iowa, which he accepted. Even if it meant having to pay for school out of his own pocket until he was finally awarded a scholarship after his first fall.
College wasn’t all a feel-good story for Moss. Adversity struck early on in his career. Against Purdue during his freshman campaign in Iowa City, Moss gave up touchdown passes of 82 yards and 41, both in a crushing thriller loss to the Boilermakers. The performance sent him to the bench and the Hawkeye fanbase soon ensued with pitchforks and torches.
“I think maybe it was after the Purdue game his freshman year that people were ready to ship him off to who knows where. They didn’t want to see him on the field ever again, especially as a corner,” former Iowa quarterback Jack Koerner said. “It’s crazy that by the end people revere him as one of their favorite players and have so many fond memories of him getting pick sixes, getting big interceptions, making big tackles. That’s just a true testament to his work ethic and the belief he had in himself that was way more important than what other people were thinking about him.”
Yet despite the enormous maelstrom surrounding Moss at the time, the great thing about rock bottom is that the only way you can go is up. Soon after that, Moss went on a scorched earth trail, leaving wide receivers and offenses in his wake. Throughout his career at Iowa he picked off the ball 11 times, three of which were returned for touchdowns, and 26 pass breakups. Admirable stats for a player who got benched not even a full season into his college career.
He showed up when it mattered, and even when it didn’t. Moss always had the athletic ability, even in dire situations his talents have shown up. Moss has said that his hardships early on in his career have prepared him and molded him into the player he is today.
That’s something the Denver Broncos have been vying for ever since the changing of the guard in Mile High. When asked about his physical playing style, Moss responded with “especially playing in the Big Ten, you have to come up and make plays on the running back… you can’t be scared. You got to go and hit them in the mouth.”
Moss’ skillset is key for a Broncos team in desperate need of a seismic culture shift– Moss’ aggressive play style drastically contrasts with the defensive backs the team has had in the past couple of years and makes a perfect complement to the technically sound Patrick Surtain II on the opposite side of Moss… presumably. Denver has had its fair share of A-list secondaries with the most recent being the Super Bowl 50 winning “No Fly Zone” which named some of the NFL’s defensive bigwigs like Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, TJ Ward, and Bradley Roby.
Since 2015, the Broncos’ defense has been a shell of itself. Yet, the secondary has started to become a bright spot in years past– giving up a decent 21.2 points per game and a subpar but okay 224.65 passing yards allowed per game. While on paper the team might not have been Legion of Boom level, Patrick Surtain and safety Justin Simmons both anchor the secondary and will be crucial pieces alongside Moss for the long haul.
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Simmons and Surtain have been some of the best players at their position ever since their entrance into the league, but the rest of the secondary has some shoddy spots. Moss’ arrival now begs the question of will he stay at cornerback or will defensive coordinator Vance Joseph move him elsewhere.
Right now, I’m a DB,” Moss said when asked about a potential position change. “It’s good to learn everything and be ready for it.”
“Every team I’ve talked to said, ‘We think you can play corner,’” Moss said. “They asked about safety, asked about nickel. Obviously, you want to be able to play all positions. But for the most part, every team has said, ‘We think you can play corner.’”
Riley Moss doesn’t skimp out on tangibles or measurables either. Standing at 6’1″– an ideal height for a cornerback, as well as 193 pounds, it’s not like he’s super small. Instead he leverages himself to be one of the most physical corners he can be, not afraid to jam at the line of scrimmage or go down and make tackles. Thus the potential position change to a safety role.
His speed is also top notch, when at the combine, Riley Moss ran a 4.45 40-yard dash. Impressive, but his resume also speaks for himself. Coming up against high-powered offenses in the Big Ten, Moss has been tested by teams like Michigan, Minnesota, and Penn State. In fact, in a game against Indiana, he had two pick-sixes– more points than Indiana scored as a whole the entire game. Even with his setbacks, Moss has proven himself to be a serviceable corner.
“I don’t think there’s a player in Iowa history who went from being so low in the fans’ minds to being one of their favorite Hawkeye football players of all time,” Jack Koerner said.
“We didn’t have many picks this year,” Broncos’ general manager George Paton said right after the draft. “We have five. Obviously, we want quality, and we feel like he’s a quality player, and he’s going to help us. You don’t love giving picks up in the future, but we had two in the third. I think we all feel really good about it. … We had him in here on a visit. We loved the makeup. He aced the offseason, the Senior Bowl and the Combine, and then we brought him in on a visit. The coaches met with him. They Zoomed, and we spent a lot a lot of time with this player.”
Riley Moss felt an instant connection when he arrived in Denver– ready to contribute in any way he can. Whether it be special teams or getting his first start after a up and down rocky road, everyone has rallied around him
“I think he can be a great corner for the Broncos, the start of something special,” one of our staff members said. “Riley Moss could certainly make a huge impact for the 4-13 Broncos at a time they need someone the most.”
“I like that entire defensive staff. Obviously, they’ve got a great defense in Denver,” Moss said. “That’s what excited me about being able to visit them for my Top-30 visit because I love being a part of a defense where everyone does their job, everyone knows what they’re doing, and they fly around and make plays. That’s exactly what Denver does. I’m excited to be a part of that.”
