NFL Mocks Exclusive Interview With South Dakota State WR Dale Moss
It’s not very often that South Dakota sends athletes on to the professional ranks. Players in pro sports like Jason Kubel, Mike Miller, and Chad Greenway are pretty much local legends for their incredible skill and success at the next level. This year, SDSU wide receiver Dale Moss is looking to add his name to the list of players from South Dakota to be drafted into the NFL.
After a huge pro day where he had more than a dozen pro scouts in attendance, his NFL Draft stock has blown up. At his workout, he ran a blazing fast 4.38 second 40 yard dash, had a 41.5-inch vertical jump, and a 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump. He also ran a 6.35 second three-cone drill, which would have set a record at the NFL Scouting combine.
This workout really caught the attention of pro scouts, and though Moss appeared to have some serious upside before his pro day, this solidified that he also has the athletic ability to play in the NFL. We recently caught up with Moss at a pre-draft workout on the Augustana campus, where he took some time to answer questions. As of right now, he says that he doesn’t have a preferred destination for an NFL team, he just can’t wait to be picked:
“Honestly I have no preference. Like I said, I just feel fortunate to be in this situation. Any team that takes me, I’ll be extremely happy. I’m going to be happy wherever I go.”
Moss finished his one season of football with 61 receptions for 949 yards and six touchdowns. The Jackrabbits had a transition early in the season to a new quarterback, but Moss says that didn’t affect him very much. The switch at quarterback to freshman phenom Austin Sumner could very well have been a catalyst for Moss on his road to the NFL, and he says it would be “surreal” to be able to play in the NFL:
“The whole draft process—it would be huge honestly. Last year at this time, I was just starting football, starting from scratch, and it would just show how hard work pays off and I made a lot of sacrifices to be at this point. To potentially get drafted, it’s really kind of a surreal experience.”
Originally, Moss came to Brookings as a basketball player from Brandon, South Dakota. He was part of the second recruiting class that came in after the Jacks had transitioned to division one, and while he had some success on the court, there was no denying he had some raw talent and ability to play some football. He says the transition was difficult, but only for a short period of time:
“It was tough, because I was basically a freshman football-wise, just having to re-learn everything and coming off basketball season, it was a challenge. There were times when I was pretty low, but I just stayed motivated and had a lot of [positive] people around me.”
So why did Moss turn in his basketball sneakers for a pair of football cleats? He says it was a dream he’s always had, and he didn’t want to someday regret not trying it out:
“When it came down to it, my senior season was done and it was something I always wanted to do. I had that year of eligibility, and I just decided I don’t want to look back one day and say ‘what if?’”
For Moss, the risk has paid off. At 6-foot-4, about 215 pounds, and a freakish athlete, he not only has a chance to get drafted, but he could very well see some playing time early in his career. In 2011, the Denver Broncos traded up in the fourth round of the draft to select Julius Thomas, a one-year starter at tight end for Portland State who had spent the majority of his four years in college on the hardwood.
Right now, Moss is currently ranked 179th on my final NFL Draft big board, which would peg him right about the sixth round range. He told me he has heard he will be picked anywhere from the fourth round to simply being invited to camp as an undrafted free agent, so the sixth round seems like a happy medium. One thing is for sure—Moss has an uphill climb ahead of him, but he seems more than up to the task. He has a confidence about him and a business-like approach to the game, and I think he has what it takes to be successful in the NFL.
If he keeps that up, the sky is the limit.
(The full-length interview will be posted soon as a video)