Prospect Review: Fabian Moreau

Fabian Moreau was a starting cornerback for the UCLA Bruins. In his senior year at UCLA he amassed 31 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 1 forced fumble. The general consensus on Moreau is that he is a likely second round pick pick, and with the Ravens potentially in need of another cornerback, there is some speculation that the Ravens may target him. Moreau is a talented player, but has some issues and concerns that the Ravens should be weary of.

Strengths

Moreau has good size, as it is one of the reasons he is placed so high in this year’s draft by many analysts. He’s 6 foot, 206 pounds, and uses his body to his advantage. One example of this is his ability to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. He positions himself so that the receiver can’t get around him, for enough time to disrupt the route. He is a very patient cornerback, and waits for the right moment to strike. This goes along with his exceptional ability to predict and jump routes. He is especially good at covering and jumping slants and other short routes. While watching his tape, I noticed quite often that he was able to get in front of the receiver and make a play on the ball. If he isn’t able to either intercept or bat down the ball, he is usually able to make a good, wrap up tackle. To backup all his exceptional traits, he had a very solid NFL Combine showing in March. He ran a 4.35 second 40 yard dash, jumped 38 inches vertically, and jumped for 136 inches horizontally.

Weaknesses

While watching Moreau’s tape, I noticed many weaknesses that absolutely need to be addressed, and corrected, in the NFL. The first thing I noticed is that he tends to get beat deep. One play that stood out to me was when he was paired up against fellow draft prospect JuJu Smith-Schuster. Schuster easily got in front of Moreau, and ran a quick streak route down the field. He then proceeded to catch a contested ball, and got down to the one yard line. This sharply contrasts with his short yardage coverage ability. Moreau also had limited playing time at UCLA, where he was primarily used in some packages, and absent from others. He also has a very low interception rate, only picking off the passer three times during his career at UCLA since 2012. His limited number of interceptions also couples with his tendency to commit penalties, especially pass interference and holding. While watching his tape, I noticed several times he made contact with a receiver, that should have been called pass interference or holding. Finally, his injury history is a concern. He has been injured in the past, and this offseason sustained a pectoral tear at UCLA’s Pro Day. It was originally assumed to be a minor injury, but he eventually underwent surgery for it, and there’s no telling how he will recover.

His Fit on the Ravens

If the Ravens do decide to draft cornerback Fabian Moreau, he will join an already crowded secondary. The Ravens already have 6 cornerbacks on the roster, including Jimmy Smith, Tavon Young, and Brandon Carr. The Ravens are also presumed to re-sign veteran Lardarius Webb, who prior to 2015 played cornerback. I would not be surprised if the Ravens moved him back to cornerback, instead of safety. Moreau would mainly be used in short yardage situations, and other packages where he could fit in. Moreau would not be a starting cornerback in any fashion, just a depth and situational cornerback.

Rating

Overall, I give Fabian Moreau a 3.3/5.0 Rating. He’s a solid cornerback, but lacks the experience and durability to play well at the next level. He has trouble with penalties and deep passes, and his only real strength is his short coverage play. While most analysts are placing Moreau in the second round, I see him more as a third or fourth rounder. He is too much of a risk to be taken in a higher round, especially with other prospects there such as Desmond King. If the Ravens want to go ahead and grab him in a later round if he falls, they should do so, but they should not reach for him in an early round and take a gamble.