Notebook: Moore, Frazier pleased with speed at Missouri pro day

Following the NFL Combine in early March, former Missouri wide receiver J’Mon Moore said he got “texts for days,” all about one subject: his time in the 40-yard dash.

Moore posted solid numbers in the bench press and agility drills, but his 40-yard time of 4.60 seconds ranked 18th out of 24 receivers invited to the Combine. As a result, Moore’s main focus entering Missouri’s pro day Thursday was to improve his time. He did just that, clocking in at 4.48 seconds. Afterward, Moore said his nerves affected him at the combine, but his time Thursday proved “it’s legit, I can run.”

Fifteen former Tiger players, including 2016 seniors Alex Ross and Kenya Dennis, worked out in front of scouts from about 17 NFL teams and at least one Canadian Football League team Thursday. Moore clearly received the most attention. When he was not warming up or going through drills, he was talking one-on-one with scouts from different teams. At one point, a scout from the Denver Broncos appeared to put Moore through a mini-workout on his own.

The effervescent Moore said he had no problem “selling himself” in the one-on-one meetings.

“They want to get to know you before they make an investment in you, so you gotta basically let these people know who you are, you gotta be you,” Moore said. “… I wasn’t all stiff or boring with it. I let my personality come out, so that was easy.”

Moore is considered a likely third- to fifth-round draft prospect. His main focus entering Thursday was improving in the 40-yard dash, but Moore said he has faced other criticisms from scouts during the past few months. The biggest knock on Moore has always been his hands. That was evident again Thursday, as Moore dropped two passes during individual drills — one a low pass on a slant route that he got both hands on but couldn’t corral, and the other a deep, over the shoulder catch along the sideline. Moore said the issue usually results from him taking his eye off the ball and looking upfield before he has secured a catch, a habit that he has assured NFL scouts he is working to kick.

The other question he has faced is whether his skills will translate from former offensive coordinator Josh Heupel’s fast-paced, spread offense to an NFL scheme. Moore led the Tigers in receiving the past two seasons, but he always played on the left side of the formation and did most of his damage along the sideline. He said he has had to convince scouts that he can run routes from both sides of the field and successfully venture over the middle.

“I felt like I didn’t get to really showcase everything I could do in college because I stayed on the left side, I stayed outside,” Moore said. “But I felt like in the Senior Bowl I was able to show them that I could play both sides, I was able to pick up playing inside and out, so I was kind of able to show some things they were questioning.”

Overall, Moore said he hasn’t let the stress of proving himself to scouts diminish his excitement at the prospect of getting drafted.

“Not too many people get to do what I’ve done in the past couple of months, so it’s been a great opportunity, it’s been a great feeling, and just knowing that your name can get called, it’s a great feeling.”

Frazier shows off speed, endurance

Moore was the only Missouri player invited to the Combine, and the biggest snub from the rest of the roster was undoubtedly Marcell Frazier. The defensive end said his “pride was hurt” when he did not receive an invite. That made Thursday, his lone chance to workout for pro scouts from multiple teams, all the more important.

Frazier certainly delivered in the 40-yard dash. His official time of 4.63 seconds would have been fifth among defensive ends at the Combine. The time impressed scouts, and Frazier said it allowed him to prove that he can be better than he showed on film last season because he was playing through a quad injury.

“The scouts were pretty shocked,” Frazier said. “They were like, ‘you’re faster than you looked on film’ and stuff, and I was like, well I was hurt the whole year, I would think I would look faster today. So a lot of scouts were impressed.”

Frazier also made a point of going through every individual drill possible. After running the 40-yard dash and agility drills, he worked out with the defensive linemen — and then again with the linebackers. Frazier, who said he has cut his body fat percentage from 19 percent at the end of the season to 13 percent now, wanted to show off his endurance.

“(Scouts) were impressed that I kind of kept chugging along, even though I was obviously tired, that I kept going full-speed,” Frazier said.

Frazier played in the Shrine Game, one of several all-star games for college seniors, on Jan. 19, but since then, he has not heard from many scouts. He hopes that will change after his performance Thursday. Interest may have already begun to increase, as after the workouts ended he lingered on the field, talking for several minutes with a scout from the Miami Dolphins. Frazier said he also talked to representatives from the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints.

Moore details voluminous sneaker collection

The final highlight of Thursday’s pro day came about a half hour after workouts and drills had ended. Moore revealed to reporters that former Missouri and current Dolphins defensive end Charles Harris had given him a new pair of Jordan brand sneakers for the NFL Combine. That led to Moore discussing his love for sneakers, particularly Jordans.

Then, Moore revealed this tidbit: He owns about 160 total pairs of shoes, 106 of which are Jordans. Moore said he has so many shoes that he struggles to keep track of them all.

“I just be forgetting about shoes,” Moore said. “I look in the box and be like, ‘oh, I forgot about those.’

“I just love shoes,” he added. “That’s all I love. Like video games, I’m not big on video games and stuff. I’ve always been like a shoe guy.”

Moore struggled to pick a favorite pair out of his 160 or so options, but he ultimately settled on the Yeezy 750s, made not by Jordan but Adidas.