Rondale Moore banks on outstanding freshman tape, opts out of 2020

Purdue WR Rondale Moore opts out of 2020 season, enters 2021 NFL Draft.

Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore is the latest top 2021 NFL Draft prospect to opt-out of the 2020 college football season.

Moore joins a growing list of players, all of which were on our list of predicted opt-out players, to skip the 2020 season with concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty about the season in general.

For players like Moore, the decision is really not an overly complicated one. Certain conferences around the country have already canceled fall sports, including football. None of the major or power five conferences have done it, but some — like the Big Ten — have gone to amended 10-game schedules featuring only conference play.

There’s no guarantee all of those games will even be played at this point. No one really knows what’s going to happen. The best-case scenario for college football is, of course, that all of those games and some sort of playoff is played.

The logic on the part of these players is, I am currently projected to be a first- or second-round NFL Draft pick in 2021. There is no guarantee a full college season is played. Understanding there is not a guarantee of a full college season and there is a chance an injury could hurt my 2021 NFL Draft stock, why risk playing in a potentially shortened or eventually canceled season?

Considering the inherent risk of playing football in general, coupled with the fact that Rondale Moore also missed most of the 2019 season with an injury, there’s no really great reason for him to return to Purdue for another year, especially when he’s already considered a first-round prospect for 2021.

Moore has electrifying game speed.

He is a playmaker in the truest sense of the term, able to take the ball the distance from any part of the field and on any type of play, whether he’s a receiver, runner, or returner.

Moore finished his freshman season in 2018 with 14 total touchdowns on offense (12 receiving, two rushing) and was a preseason Heisman pick by a few people in 2019 before he was ultimately limited to just four games.

At 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, there’s certainly no guarantee of first-round status for Moore. His pre-draft measurables will have to be pretty outstanding to truly solidify a first-round status at that size, especially considering he already has injury concerns at the present moment.

Moore is likely headed for the top 64 picks one way or another even with just one full season of work at the college level. He’s a fascinating prospect with big-time speed and open-field elusiveness who will be coveted by NFL teams.