Thaddeus Moss is an Intriguing Target for Cincinnati Bengals
On Friday, Thaddeus Moss announced he would be entering the 2020 draft. Here, we look at how he’d fit in with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Many have been clamoring for the Cincinnati Bengals to reunite LSU teammates Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson in the NFL. While that would be an ideal scenario, it would likely require the front office to spend their first and second-round pick on the duo, causing them to miss out on a player at a position of higher need.
However, with Thaddeus Moss declaring his intention to forgo his senior season and enter the draft, it opens up another avenue for the Bengals to bring in one of Burrow’s favorite pass catchers.
Moss, the son of all-time great Randy Moss, is a wide receiver in a tight end’s body. Standing at 6’3″ and weighing in at nearly 250 pounds, he has remarkable athleticism for his size.
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Over the course of the 2019 season, the former LSU tiger hauled in 47 passes, going for 570 yards and four touchdowns. What makes Moss even more intriguing is how he began to surge as the season wore on. He started to show a lot of the upside that has scouts projecting him to be taken on day two of the draft.
Even with all of his ability in the passing game, he has plenty to offer blocking-wise as well. He’s willing and capable to get dirty in the run game, allowing him to classify as an all-around tight end.
Tight-end is sneakily a need for the Bengals. C.J. Uzomah is a key player at the position but beyond him, things aren’t as steady. Highly drafted rookie Drew Sample failed to show much before his season ended in injury. In addition, there is no guarantee Tyler Eifert will return, as he is a free agent this off-season. Even if the front office does re-sign Eifert, having both he and Moss on the field at the same time would create mismatch nightmares for opposing defenses.
The last time the team got high-end production out of a tight end was in 2015, when Eifert caught an impressive 13 touchdown passes, helping lead the team to a 12-4 record. Moss has the potential and athleticism to play a similar role. If the Bengals could even get half of the production out of the LSU tight end as they did from Eifert, he could be a catalyst in the team returning to contention.
Perhaps the Bengals can snag Moss with an extra pick they acquire via trading some combination of Andy Dalton, Cordy Glenn, or Dre Kirkpatrick, who all have been rumored to have murky futures with the franchise. If the team can’t pick up extra draft capital, however, there may be more pressing needs they’ll be forced to address.
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As the pre-draft process plays out and April nears, keep an eye on the 21-year-old. Securing his draft rights would give the Cincinnati Bengals a play-maker and a prospect who already has chemistry with Burrow, likely their next franchise quarterback.