September 7th, 2010

If Speed Kills Then Nevada’s Dontay Moch is a Murderer Posted By Scott Wright

In the game of football speed kills.

Whether its high school, college or the pros every team is looking to get faster. That is why Nevada’s Dontay Moch is such an intriguing prospect.

Dontay Moch | Nevada WolfpackThe reigning WAC Defensive Player of the Year, Moch has tallied an impressive 49.0 tackles for a loss and 20.0 sacks the past three seasons while playing defensive end for the Wolfpack. However, at just 6-1 and 245 pounds Moch is severely undersized and he may be forced to move to outside linebacker at the next level. Fortunately Moch possesses the speed and athleticism to make that transition. Actually, that’s an understatement. Moch has more than enough speed and athleticism to make the transition because he reportedly runs a 4.25 forty. No, that is not a misprint or a typo. A 4.25 forty! When you’re talking about incredible numbers like that there are bound to be skeptics but this isn’t some unconfirmed report from an internet message board. That is the verified time both BLESTO and National Scouting, two well-known services utilized by the NFL, noted in their most recent spring reports. Needless to say if Moch is able to replicate that time in pre-draft workouts it’s going to create quite a buzz.

The big question is what to do with Moch in terms of a position. The obvious solution is to play him at outside linebacker in an odd front, but because he is so short not every 3-4 team will be interested. Still, the success that Elvis Dumervil, who is just 5-11, has found with the Denver Broncos will surely work in Moch’s favor. The other option would be to simply keep him at defensive end. Granted that won’t be possible in every situation but for teams willing to sacrifice size in favor of speed Moch will be a fascinating option. The Indianapolis Colts are a perfect example and while Moch is about 20 pounds lighter than Dwight Freeney was coming out of college they are both blazing fast and about the same height, which will lead to the inevitable comparisons between the two. The bottom line is that Moch won’t be a fit for everyone and beauty will most likely be in the eye of the beholder.

It’s obviously still very early in the process but right now most consider Moch to be a second or third round value. However, if he works out as well as expected it would not come as a shock if some team became enamored and plucked him off the board earlier. Regardless of where he is ultimately selected it’s going to be very interesting to see how Moch’s draft stock evolves in the coming months. At this point there may be more questions than answers when it comes to how Moch will fit in at the next level but you better believe the NFL will find a place for a pass rusher with that type of rare speed.