With The First Pick
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4 lesser-known UDFAs who could make the jump to the NFL

By Darral Nail

Wide receiver Sage Surratt #14 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
Wide receiver Sage Surratt #14 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images) /
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Undrafted Briley Moore could emerge at position need for Titans. Photo Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Undrafted Briley Moore could emerge at position need for Titans. Photo Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports /

Briley Moore, Tight End, Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans are something of a rarity in today’s game in that they employ a run-first offense behind All-Pro back Derrick Henry.  Under former play-caller (and current Atlanta Falcons head coach) Arthur Smith, the Titans ran a third of their offensive snaps out of “21” personnel, with 2 tight ends and a running back.  This choice of formation facilitates run/pass balance and effectively allows Tennessee to disguise their offensive intentions while presenting unique conflicts for an opposing defense, particularly when one of the tight ends is a true receiving threat.

Given their offensive approach, it is was perhaps a bit surprising to see the Titans part ways with two of their top tight ends from the previous season.  However, the 2020 team’s top receiver at the position now resides in New England, with the Patriots signing Jonnu Smith to a 4-year, $50 million contract early this offseason.  Likewise, for MyCole Pruitt, the top blocker among Tennessee’s tight end group, although Titans General Manager Jon Robinson has at least alluded to the possibility that the free agent could rejoin the team at some point.

This leaves two solid-if-unspectacular veteran tight ends atop the Titan’s depth chart in form of Anthony Frisker and Geoff Swaim.  Frisker, the superior receiver of the two, aligns predominantly in the slot while Swaim, an asset as an inline blocker in the team’s run game, saw the higher share of snaps in 2020.

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While many might have expected the Titans to add a tight end in this year’s draft, the team may have found an answer at the position in UDFA Briley Moore.

Though he enters the NFL from Kansas State, Moore would be in possession of an enviable collegiate stat line before stepping onto the field in Manhattan, with 1,116 receiving yards on 85 receptions and 5 touchdowns during his time at FCS member Northern Iowa.  A medical hardship waiver would pave the way for Moore to K-State, and though the Wildcats were returning the previous year’s first-team All-Big 12 tight end in Nick Lenners, it was Moore who would emerge as the Wildcats’ preferred pass-catching option early on, with 10 catches and a touchdown over K-State’s first two games of the 2020 season.

Though a set of nagging injuries would temper his overall production in his final college season, Moore could be seen as a near-ideal projection into the Titans’ offense.  Impressive in his ability to make plays and run after the catch, Moore likewise excels with the sort of tough, contested catches in traffic that will await him in Tennessee.   He displays an understanding of passing concepts, apparent in the way he exploits buzzing linebackers and rolling safeties to present himself as a safe target to the quarterback. Further solidifying his fit with his new employer, Moore enters the league as a proficient blocker, displaying a nasty, finisher-style approach in the run game.

Given his level of technical refinement, along with a 6-foot-4, 255-pound frame and the versatility he brings to both the run and passing game, there is reason to believe that Briley Moore could emerge early on as the go-to option among the Titans’ tight ends.

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