Gang Green Nation
Taking a look at the Jets rookie safety
The New York Jets drafted former Alabama safety Malachi Moore in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft. Today we break Moore down in detail.
The 23-year old Moore is listed at 5’11” and 196 pounds. He was a second-team all-American in 2024. He had 214 tackles, 2.5 sacks and six interceptions in 64 games with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Background
Moore was a four-star high school recruit who had four interceptions in his final season and earned a scholarship at Alabama, where he won a starting role in his freshman season in 2020.
He was named to the all-SEC freshman team and the all-SEC second team after starting the first 11 games of the year and recording 44 tackles, six passes defensed and three interceptions. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown. However, he missed the postseason due to injury.
In 2021, Moore started nine games, but he was in a rotational role as he finished the season with 17 tackles and one interception.
Ahead of the 2022 season, he was named as a preseason third team all-American by Pro Football Focus, but ended up starting just one game. He had 31 tackles and the first 1.5 sacks of his career.
In 2023, he was a full-time starter and had a productive year with 52 tackles and a career-best five tackles for loss.
2024 was his best season, as he earned second team all-American and first team all-SEC honors by racking up 70 tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and a sack.
Moore was invited to the NFL scouting combine but did not work out due to injury. The Jets traded up to select him with the last pick of the fourth round in April’s draft.
Let’s move on to some more in-depth analysis of what Moore brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Moore is a little undersized for the safety position with very short arms. In fact, the only safety with shorter arms in combine history to become a starting safety at the NFL level has been Geno Stone.
He ran a solid 4.57 in the 40-yard dash and posted 15 bench press reps at his pro day, but didn’t do the agility drills. His explosiveness numbers were excellent.
Usage
Moore has played in the box, in the slot and as a deep safety, but his role evolved over the course of his career.
In his freshman season, the majority of his reps were in the slot with some in the box and none as a deep safety. However, his final season saw him mostly playing as a deep safety.
Coverage skills
Moore played closer to the line of scrimmage until last season. The move into a deeper role was reflected in fewer targets and vastly improved coverage numbers. He entered the 2024 season having given up a completion on 70 percent of his targets, but reduced that all...
