Fabian Moreau, CB: A physical coverage corner the Redskins could use

Fabian Moreau, CB
School: UCLA | Conference: PAC-12
College Experience: RS Senior | Age: 22
Height / Weight: 6-0 / 206 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 3rd Round
NFL Comparison: Brandon Carr

College Statistics

Player Overview

Fabian Moreau is a former running back and made the switch to defense after his first year. He worked his way up into UCLA’s rotation through special teams and carved out a larger and larger role for himself in the Bruins backfield. Moreau is a good athlete and is fluid and quick enough to stick with a lot of receivers. He’s aggressive and uses his size to disrupt, bump, and reroute. He anticipates well and has over 20 passes defended in his college career. Moreau was on pace to have a career year before a lisfranc injury ended his senior season early. He got back on track in the offseason and showed off his skills at the Senior bowl and was generating a lot of buzz and hype and was considered by some to be a first-round talent. A few days ago he injured his pectoral muscle at his pro day workout.

Strengths

• Good size, build, and athleticism for the position.
• Strong and aggressive showing the ability to be a real nuisance to his opposition. Knows how to use his hands and body to stick with the receiver and jam off the LOS.
• Solid tackler.
• Shows good anticipation and instincts to jump routes and break up passes. Excellent in man coverage.

Weaknesses

• Questionable short area quickness. I saw him get beat several times on slants.
• Injury history that includes a lisfranc and now a pec injury
• Questionable hands. He has a lot of pass breakups but few interceptions. Needs to be better at creating turnovers.
• Needs to be more aware and prepared when plays break down on offense. He looks lost when the QB goes to a scramble drill.

Let’s see his work:

How He Would Fit On The Redskins

I wasn't in the Fabian Moreau is a first rounder club but I do think he is a solid player. He isn't flashy, he didn't post eye-popping stats but he did his job well. He’s a good athlete that plays with intriguing physicality but he definitely has some things to work on. With his injury, I'm guessing he lands somewhere in the third round now and that's a great value for a player like him who was projected to be an immediate starter. I think he needs to improve his route recognition and get exposed to more complex NFL coverages. He almost exclusively played man coverage and simple cover 3 defense in the Bruins system. In the past, the Redskins used a lot of variations of the cover 2 defense. He also needs to spend a few hours a week with the jug machine to help improve his hands. His lack of interceptions is somewhat frustrating given how good a position he can get himself into defending the pass.

Moreau is a solid tackler and has special teams experience at UCLA. I’d expect him to work his way into the rotation starting there. If he is healthy there is a strong chance he could push for CB3 duties and win. People may not see the need for corner right now but it will become apparent if anyone at the position goes down with an injury or moves on from the team next year.