KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs added another weapon to their wide receiver group in the second round of the NFL Draft Friday night, but rather than targeting a bigger target for quarterback Patrick Mahomes the club landed 5-foot-9 Skyy Moore from Western Michigan.
Ultimately it was the football IQ and toughness of Moore that moved him to the top of the receivers group for the Chiefs, according to assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi.
“The one thing that stood out with this kid is he is smart,” Borgonzi said. “If you watch this kid on film, he’s not the biggest guy but he is fearless across the middle. Dependable, for a smaller guy he really goes up and gets the ball. We feel really good about fitting him into this offense.”
The selection of Moore followed a swap with the New England Patriots. The club sent the No. 50 overall selection in the second round to the Patriots in exchange for the No. 54 choice, which the club used on Moore. The Chiefs also acquired a fifth-round selection from New England (No. 158 overall).
Moore profiles as a slot receiver in the NFL with the toughness and hand to make difficult catches in traffic over the middle. He was also a deep threat at Western Michigan, averaging 14.5 yards per reception. He posted a career-best 95 catches for 1,292 yards and 10 touchdowns as an All-MAC receiver last year before electing to forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.
Moore’s size and style of play will like draw comparisons to De’Anthony Thomas, the elusive 5-foot-8, 176-pound rusher and receiver who spent parts of six seasons with the Chiefs from 2014 to 2019. But while Thomas played primarily running back at Oregon in college, the 195-pound Moore made the transition from running back to receiver as a freshman in college and comes into the league with a much more extensive and polished resume as a receiver.
“I think Sky is probably at this stage – even though it’s only his third season playing wide receiver – more of a crisp route runner,” Borgonzi said regarding the comparison between Thomas and Moore. “Everything he does is very detailed in his routes. But size and speed is very comparable, and he’s explosive. For a small guy, he can really go up and get the ball.”
And just as special teams coordinator Dave Toub often touted Thomas as the toughest player on the team “pound for pound,” Moore also earns raves for his physicality. He credits growing up in the “Steel City” for sharpening his edge.
“Honestly I feel like it comes from my city, just growing up in the areas of Pittsburgh, we’re a blue-collar city. That’s all I knew. It wasn’t ever anything else, so I really just credit that to the city I come from.”
NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic echoes Borgonzi’s thoughts on his route running, adding that Moore is a reliable pass-catcher due to his “large, sticky hands and quick-reaction ball skills.”
“Although he isn’t an explosive YAC (yards after catch) threat, he flashes natural instincts with the ball in his hands and makes it a chore for defenders to get him on the ground,” Brugler wrote. “Overall, Moore might have trouble creating sizable passing windows vs. NFL coverage, but he has outstanding hands and reflexes with the detail-oriented mindset to grow into a three-level threat.”
