Can Jets rookie Elijah Moore contribute as an outside receiver in 2021?
Jets WR Elijah Moore treated image, white jersey green background  When the Jets drafted Elijah Moore, most draft experts praised the move, with some saying they had selected the best slot receiver in the draft. However, it was unclear what this meant for Jamison Crowder -- the Jets leading receiver from the previous two seasons -- or his backup Braxton Berrios, who had shown good progress in 2020. Following some speculation that Crowder could be released or traded, he eventually agreed to a restructured contract which seemingly guarantees his spot on the roster. Berrios still seems to be in the teams plans, too, as he got plenty of work with the first unit and emerged as one of Zach Wilsons favorite targets in offseason practices. Moore was mostly a slot receiver in college and lacks size at 5-feet-10 and 178 pounds, so the expectation was that hed mainly work inside at the NFL level. However, hes been lining up  and producing  on the outside in those practices and his versatility has been praised by the coaching staff. While smaller receivers are usually projected into a slot role at the pro level, there have been players of this type that have primarily produced on the outside. DeSean Jackson is almost exactly the same size as Moore and he has had a glittering career that has seen him achieve five 1,000-yard seasons and three Pro Bowl appearances. Moores athletic measurables are also extremely similar to Jackson -- they both ran a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash and posted above average explosiveness and excellent agility numbers -- and he brings a lot of similar things to the table in terms of technical route-running ability, hands and competitiveness. A more recent example is Marquise Brown, who has caught over 100 passes, including 15 touchdowns, in his first two seasons. Brown has been playing primarily on the outside despite again being basically the same size as Moore. Brown has had four 100-yard games in his first two years with the Ravens, including two in postseason games. The difference between Moore and the likes of Jackson and Brown is they had already played on the outside most of the time during their college careers. However, after being almost exclusively a slot receiver in his first two seasons, Moore was used in a variety of different ways in his final season, especially towards the end of the year. Story continues  Moore lined up outside almost 20 percent of the time, but also lined up in the backfield and even sometimes as an H-back or wildcat quarterback. When he did line up outside, he would be the Z receiver, which means he was off the line of scrimmage and able to go in motion, as he often did before or as the ball was snapped. He also worked on the outside in bunch formations, which meant he could still work the middle of the field and couldnt be forced up against the sideline. The South Carolina game was telling, as only six of Moores 13 catches came while he was lined up in the slot. The Rebels kept moving him around and he had some catches against zone coverage from the boundary. Tellingly, the Gamecocks put their best cornerback -- Panthers first-round pick Jaycee Horn -- into man coverage against him in crunch time and Moore proved he can deliver against NFL-level talent by beating his jam to release for a first down catch and then drawing a pass interference call on a downfield route. If Moore can be effective on the outside with the Jets, this will enable them to get Crowder, and maybe Berrios sometimes, into the game collectively. They can also exploit his versatility by having four, or even five receivers on the field but not necessarily lining up in an empty set. The downside to Moore producing on the outside is that this means fewer reps available for the likes of Keelan Cole and Denzel Mims. The Jets didnt guarantee Cole $5 million to spend most of the season on the bench and will be keen to keep developing Mims after the 2020 second-round pick showed flashes of potential in an injury-affected rookie year. Ultimately, this could be a nice problem to have. There will inevitably be injuries so thats where the teams improved strength in depth should pay off. Contributing on the outside wasnt something Moore did a lot in college, but he did enough of it during his junior year to suggest its somewhere he can potentially produce. Whether hell emulate Brown and Jackson to become a player who primarily lines up outside remains to be seen, but the coaching staff are sure to see his positional versatility as an exciting tool.