Photo by Stephen Mally - Hawkeye Sports

Height	Weight	Arm Length	Hand Size
6'1"	193 lbs.	30"	9 1/2"

Games	Tackles	Tackles for Loss	Sacks	Pass defended	Interceptions	Forced Fumbles	Touchdowns
43	158	5.0	0.0	26	11	2	3

40 Yard Dash	Bench Press	Vertical Jump	Broad Jump	3-Cone Drill	20 Yard Shuttle
4.45 Sec	N/A	39"	10'7"	​N/A	​N/A

Pros

• Great overall athlete for the position.

• Has good size for the position to matchup with bigger receivers in the NFL.

 

• Phenomenal explosiveness is evident on tape both vertically and horizontally.

 

• One of the best pure zone coverage corners in the draft with plenty of polish to his game.

 

• Elite route-recognition puts him in a great many positions to make plays.

 

• Pre-diagnoses plays before the snap very well and communicates it to the rest of his secondary.

 

• Athleticism allows him to cover significant ground in zone coverage and never be completely out of a play.

 

• Leaping capabilities have made him a great jump ball player that can come away with the interception once he gets his hands on it.

 

• No false steps in his zone coverage. 

 

• Reads quarterbacks and receiver start to finish.

 

• Not fooled by quarterbacks try to fake him out of position.

 

• Highpoints football when attacking passes.

 

• A menace in the red zone when receivers room to run is squeezed and he can stay close.

  

• Receiver background has given him some of the best hands in the draft.

 

• 3 interceptions for touchdowns show that he's a more than capable playmaker on the defensive side of the ball.

 

• Very willing tackler that isn't afraid to attack the trenches in run defense.

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• Became a sneaky puncher of the football in 2022 with two forced fumbles.

 

• Worked his way into starting role quickly his freshman year and has been a staple in the Iowa defense for five seasons.

 

• Highly intelligent football player that understands mind over matter on the field.

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• Film junky that learns from mistakes and studies his opponents.

 

• Exceptional character and work ethic on and off the field.

 

• Tough player that never says no to a task.

 

• Highly versatile chess peice in the secondary with special teams capabilities as well.

 

• Iowa Hawkeyes have a lengthy history of success in the NFL, regardless of position.

Cons

• Has had injury history in his college football career.

• Change of direction is at best average.

 

• Shifty route-runner have given him major difficulty in man coverage.

 

• Recovery speed is concerning.

 

• Explosive movements early in man coverage against him can fake him out of position.

 

• Arm length for size is below average which could be an issue when having to punch out footballs against bigger receivers.

 

• More of an ankle tackler as he lacks the arm length to effectively wrap up ball carriers.

 

• Defensive scheme didn't emphasize much press coverage and likely won't in his pro career.

• Very much scheme dependent, specifically zone.

Overview

If their is anything NFL coaches love in a player it's one that never turns down an opportunity to help the teams and prove himself and Riley Moss certainly did just that for the Hawkeyes in his lengthy career. You can tell he puts his time into the game on and off the field to become a better player and a more useful piece on defense. His ball skills and high football IQ have been his bread and butter in his five seasons with the Hawkeyes and athletic testing at the combine only made him a more intriguing prospect overall. Some teams may draft him with the safety position in mind which is not a bad idea considering how well zone cover corners can make a home at that position but Moss to me is a plug-n-play rookie in zone defense that can lineup anywhere. Yes he's very much scheme dependent as a prospect and have to earn his stripes on special teams early in his career but you can't teach his work ethic and readiness as pro currently and any defensive coordinator that likes zone coverage is likely to have him higher on their boards that most other teams in the league.