The Jets have signed WR Elijah Moore, their second-round pick (No. 34 overall) out of Mississippi.
Even though he opted out of the final two games of the 2020 season, Moore (5-9, 178) led all FBS receivers with 10.8 catches/game and with 149.1 receiving yards/game. He finished with a school record 86 receptions, for 1,193 yards and 16 TDs, and was named first-team All-SEC.
"He's dynamic," Head Coach Robert Saleh said. "When he gets the ball in his hands, he becomes something different. His ability to separate on routes, run the jet sweeps, come out of the backfield — he's extremely versatile. I'm ecstatic he was able to get to us. There's not a lot of things he can't do."
Moore, who described his game as "electric," totaled 189 receptions, 2,441 yards and 16 TDs in three years in Oxford, MS. He ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at his pro day, shedding light on his track background. He set personal bests in the 100 meters (11.11), 200 meters (23.40) and long jump (19-6.75) as a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL, which produced many NFL players including NFL Hall of Fame WR Michael Irvin. He's also the most recent Ole Miss WR to turn pro in what's been an impressive recent lineage – Titans WR A.J. Brown and Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf.
"I feel like I just understand craft," Moore said of his route running. "Football and being a receiver is more than just catching the ball and running. I feel like you have to understand what you're doing and the art of getting open. I just take more pride to it. A lot more goes on out there than what everyone sees on the TV.
He added of joining OC Mike LaFleur's scheme: "A great fit. I feel like I'm a person who can adapt to anything. Whatever it is, I'll be able to adjust and get the job done."
Moore becomes the 13th draft choice by the Jets out of Ole Miss in franchise history. The biggest Rebel to become a Jet was the first — LB Larry Grantham, a first-round pick in the first AFL Draft in 1960, who played in 175 games as a Jets and a Titan of New York. He was named to five AFL All-Star Games as a player and then 51 years later, in 2011, he was named to the second Jets Ring of Honor class.
