FL Draft 2019 Scouting Report: TE Foster Moreau, LSU

*Our TE grades can and will change as more information comes in from Pro Day workouts, leaked Wonderlic test results, etc. We will update ratings as new info becomes available.

**Our TE formulas had some slight changes in the offseason—an adjustment to better identify and value TE prospects that are smaller physically and are primed for the era ahead...the era of Jordan Reed and Delanie Walker-type TEs. Our historical grades will have changed some on various prospects as well, to show their grades by comparison. 

I think I want to argue that Foster Moreau is the 2nd-best tight end prospect in the 2019 NFL Draft (from the NFL Combine attendees)…#2, but well behind Noah Fant at #1.

I only say, “I think…” because Moreau is a leap of faith prospect, in a sense. Why? Well, LSU barely used him in the passing game…because LSU had a barely functional passing game. For years, the LSU passing game has been abysmal and has kept some of their offensive prospects from being fully displayed. We have a ton of tape on Moreau blocking in the run game and running pass routes, but not many where he actually sees a pass target.

When college passing games are bad, with playbooks from the 1970s (a la LSU), the tight end, specifically, doesn’t have much of a chance to shine with the ball in his hands. Bad college QBs on stifling, run-oriented offenses typically just throw screens, blind slants, and bombs to the outside. They are not sitting in the pocket, reading through their progressions, finding a tight end mismatched and throwing a bullet to them into a tight window. Against better competition, like the SEC schedule, the middle of the football field may as well not even exist to bad quarterbacks – it’s a no-fly/throw zone….and, thus, we don’t have much on Moreau as a receiver.

What we do know, though, is promising…

 -- One of the better performers at the NFL Combine among the TE group. The 5th-fastest 40-time (4.66), a hair from 3rd-best. The 6th-best three-cone (7.16), a hair away from 4th-best. The 2nd-best bench press (22 reps). The 4th-best broad jump, a hair away from 2nd-best. Athletically, as a TE prospect, Moreau is above-average.

 -- Moreau was named the Practice Week Award winner (among the tight ends) at the Senior Bowl week. A standout on the field and off.

 -- On tape, Moreau is a solid enough blocker. He has good hands (in-game, at the Senior Bowl, and at the Combine). He’s a ‘threat’/he has tools in the passing game. He’s aggressive and confident in all facets of the game.

 -- It’s a joy to listen to Moreau speak. Perhaps the most gifted orator in this draft class. A future NFL analyst someday if he wants. He’s well-spoken, confident, smart, gregarious. He was also named a ‘2018 Permanent Team Captain’ by LSU as well. Character is not an issue.

There are really no issues with Moreau…he just hasn’t really had a chance to fully shine in the passing game to grab people’s attention. He should get that chance in the NFL. I’ll put it this way – if Moreau had gone to Oklahoma and worked 2017 with Baker Mayfield and 2018 with Kyler Murray…Moreau would be a top 50 draft prospect today. Instead, he’s a ‘sleeper’ top 150 prospect.

I like San Diego State’s Kahale Warring and Foster Moreau as the contenders for 2nd-best TE prospect of the 2019 class (from the NFL Combine invitees). Warring is built more like a traditional NFL tight end and is a better receiver all-around, but Moreau is more aggressive and more fluid on the move. They’re both quality prospects.

Foster Moreau, Through the Lens of Our TE Scouting Algorithm:

To show you examples of his underutilization… Moreau had a five-game mid-season stretch of SEC games in 2018 against many top opponents, and he caught exactly one pass in each game. He was open and available, but LSU was unable to allow a tight end to function in their passing game. 

When the schedule eased, late in the season, Moreau had a 5 catch, 73 yards, 1 TD game vs. Rice. He posted a 4 catch, 64 yards game against Notre Dame in their 2017-18 season New Year’s Day bowl game. There were flashes of his potential, but too many times he was kept in a cage in the offense.

2019 NFL Combine Measurables…

6’4.1”/253, 9.6” hands, 33.5” arms

4.66 40-time, 4.11 shuttle, 7.16 three-cone

22 bench reps, 36.5” vertical, 10’1” broad jump.

The Historical TE Prospects to Whom Foster Moreau Most Compares Within Our System:

When I did preview scouting on Moreau ahead of the Senior Bowl, I thought of him as another Blake Jarwin – has the size, is athletic, but was criminally underutilized in college. However, when I see Hunter Henry as a comp, I like that too. In fact, I’m impressed by this comp list…much more so than the Kahale Warring one. Our computer says Moreau has more promise than Warring, per its data. 

*A score of 7.0+ is where we start to take a TE prospect more seriously. A score of 8.50+ is where we see a stronger correlation of TEs going on to become NFL good/great/elite. A score of 10.00+ is more rarefied air in our system and indicates a greater probability of becoming an elite NFL TE.

All of the TE ratings are based on a 0–10 scale, but a player can score negative, or above a 10.0 in certain instances.

**The ‘TE-Reed’ score is in honor of Jordan Reed’s 2015 season…looking at TEs in a different manner—the smaller, speedy receiving threats.

“Speed-Agility Metric” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding speed, agility, physical size, mixed with some on-field performance metrics. High scorers here project to have a better YAC and show characteristics to be used as deep threats/create separation.

“Power-Strength Metric” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding physical size profiling, bench press strength, etc.  High scorers here project to be more physical, better blockers, and less injury-prone.

“Hands Metric” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding on-field performance in college, considering the strength of opponents played. Furthermore, this data considers some physical profiling for hand size, etc. High scorers here have a better track record of college statistical performance, and project the combination of data for receiving success at the next level.

2019 NFL Draft Outlook:

Moreau is tracking outside the top 100 overall on most draft websites, but I would almost guarantee he goes top 100. His Senior Bowl week was too strong. He’s a team captain/leader of men and would kill it in personal interviews. And he had a nice NFL Combine. There are no red flags here…just more a question of how high his ceiling is. 

If I were an NFL GM, I’d love to have Moreau on my roster but he’s not a mega-star TE prospect I’d had to plan or ‘reach’ to get. For fair money, if in need, or if he fell some…I’m a buyer. 

NFL Outlook:   

He should make a 53-man roster year one and see playing time, but it might take a year or two before you see the signs of a good+ receiving threat tight end…but maybe he lands in a great spot and hits right away. One way or the other, Moreau should be a productive NFL starting tight end sooner rather than later in the NFL…one with that vaunted ‘upside’. 

3/16/2019