Opening day countdowns are great. So are player profiles. Here at Musket Fire, we decided to combine them and create a Week 1 countdown-oriented, jersey number-dictated player profile series. Yesterday, we looked at No. 91 Jamie Collins, and the day before that it was No. 92 Malcom Brown. Because today marks 90 days until the New England Patriots open 2015, we are profiling No. 90, defensive end Zach Moore.
Moore is pictured here wearing No. 71 in a 2014 preseason game, but he has since claimed No. 90.
Selected in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Patriots, Moore faced long odds to make the team last summer. But the Concordia University (St. Paul) product held his own in training camp, and was active in eight regular season games as a rookie.
The first Golden Bear to be drafted, and the first one to win a Super Bowl, Moore should be viewed as an upward-tracking player. Although he didn’t see much action in 2014, Moore stands to have a consistent role this season.
The highlight of Moore’s rookie season came against the Chicago Bears, when he teamed up with Dont’a Hightower and sacked Jay Cutler, forcing a fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Rob Ninkovich. It should also be noted that Moore snatched up a C.J. Spiller fumble, indicating that in limited action Moore displayed a nose for the ball.
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Moore’s position may move to the interior of the defensive line this season. ESPNBoston’s Mike Reiss reports that Moore has been showing flashes of promise at defensive tackle during OTAs.
Focus of defense was mostly nickel. OL were stressed to identify blitzers coming from all angles. DL Zach Moore caught eye on interior.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) June 4, 2015
In case you missed them, here are the profiles for No. 93 Jabaal Sheard, No. 94 Chris jones No. 95 Chandler Jones, No. 96 Sealver Siliga, No. 97 Alan Branch, No. 98 Antonio Johnson and No. 99 Dominique Easley.
Tomorrow marks 89 days until Week 1, but the No. 89 jersey is currently up for grabs. Because of that, we will take a break from the Patriots Kick-Off series, but be sure to check back on Musket Fire on Sunday morning as we celebrate 88 days until Patriots kick-off by profiling No. 88, free agent addition Scott Chandler.