NFL Draft: Trevon Moehrig could be in play for Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have to take a good hard look at Trevon Moehrig in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Moehrig is a safety from TCU that isn’t afraid to get into the action. He covers a lot of ground and is a terrific open-field tackler.
The Baltimore Ravens could be looking to improve at the safety positions. While Chuck Clark and DeShon Elliott are solid starters, it’s hard to call either of them a game-changing player. Elliott and Clark are also of the same mold. There is a free safety and strong safety dichotomy for a reason; the Ravens can justify adding a true free safety.
Moehrig offers the Ravens something that Clark and Elliott don’t. He has the ability to cover more ground more quickly. That range is very important at the safety position, the last line of defense down the field.
My best player comp for Moehrig is the Arizona Cardinals Budda Baker. That being said, Moehrig has better reach and has a sturdier build. Baker has the same kind of build. D.K. Metcalf can tell you all about his speed in pursuit of the football. Baker is a three-time Pro Bowl player who does a bit of everything for the Cardinals secondary.
Let’s talk about Moehrig’s career with the Horned Frogs. In the 2020 season, Moehrig had 47 total tackles and two interceptions. The year before that, Moehrig picked off four passes, forced two fumbles, and had over 60 tackles.
We’re not talking about Ed Reed here. He’s a ballhawk, but he’s probably never going to pick off nine passes in a season. For the sake of sanity, let’s not use the best safety of all-time as the bar for acceptable play at the free safety position.
Moehrig is a fearless player, who finds a way to get involved in a surprising number of plays. His best role is as a true middle of the field safety, though he’s not limited to any one role.
The best quality of Moehrig is either his quick diagnosis of plays or his open-field tackling. His worst trait is that he sometimes over pursues. He shoots himself out of a cannon to go get the football. He misses the ball carrier sometimes, something I’ll live with because he plays at one speed.
With some polish, Moehrig can be a Pro Bowl safety who can have three to five interceptions a season. He’ll take away a lot of big plays, and he will make some on his own.
The obvious downside of drafting Moehrig is that the Ravens have much more pressing needs. They must replace the right tackle that they just traded away. Baltimore also needs to pick up a pass rusher or two in this draft. Also, you may not have heard, the Ravens fanbase really wants a receiver.
The Bottom Line:
If the Ravens draft Moehrig it’s going to be hard to argue with. He’s a good player and the end of the first round is about where he should be taken off the board.
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Moehrig isn’t where I would go in the first round if I were Eric DeCosta, though I wouldn’t run him out of town for the pick.