Rondale Moore Opts Out: What It Means For Purdue

News broke on Thursday that star wide receiver Rondale Moore would opt out of the 2020 season and instead focus on the 2021 NFL Draft. Moore is one of the best receivers in all of college football and will be missed by the Boilermakers. We look at the impact his decision has on the Purdue football team and how the Boilermakers will attempt to fill in for the superstar receiver.

The Loss Of An Explosive Weapon

Purdue had Rondale Moore for only four games in the 2019 season and was hoping to get the all purpose weapon back healthy and recharged. We ranked Moore as the #4 receiver in our initial 2020 WR Rankings based on his explosive potential. Moore was supposed to return and take the pressure off emerging receiver David Bell and give the Boilermakers a dynamic duo that would be a handful for any defense to contain. Bell was the outside receiver and Moore was supposed to be an all purpose threat from the slot, where his game breaking ability has proven to be nearly unstoppable.

Moore arrived on the scene in 2018 as an explosive freshman who was a highlight video every week for Purdue, showing his playmaking ability in every facet of the game. Moore has excellent strength for his size and some of the best short area quickness in college football. He is a handful to cover for even the best defenders and creates good separation downfield. With the ball in his hands Moore has run after the catch ability that is on par with the best receivers in college football. Moore is a rare talent who has few equals in the sport.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E7kC2doyYQ

In 17 games for Purdue, Moore had 143 catches for 1,645 yards and 14 TD in the passing game and another 24 carries for 216 yards and 2 TD in the running game. Moore was the focus of every defense the Boilermakers faced and still got loose for big plays on a weekly basis. He opened up the field for the entire offense and allowed other players to perform in open areas. Moore was able to make a play even when the defense was in good position and had the offensive play schemed out. Moore is a unique talent and Purdue has the unenviable task of trying to find a way to replace his production in 2020.

A Young Star Who Will Be Leaned On

With Moore out for the majority of 2019 David Bell stepped up and became the go to threat for Purdue. He was able to accumulate 86 catches for 1,035 yards and 7 TDs in 2019. Bell was the leading receiver for Purdue in 2019, but with the departure of Moore and the loss of tight end Brycen Hopkins to the NFL, the gap between Bell and the rest of the receivers is substantial. Bell had more receiving yards last year than any three of the other returning receivers for Purdue combined.

Bell will be asked to do even more in 2020 as he is now a proven commodity and the go-to receiver in Jeff Brohm’s offense. In 2019, Bell had six games with over 100 yards receiving including three such games in a row to close the season. His production took off as the season progressed and he became comfortable in Purdue’s offense. In 2020, Bell will need to continue to elevate his level of play with Moore out of the picture, as he will be a marked man each week. Bell has proven he can be a consistent threat on the perimeter but the pressure is on for him to do more in 2020.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEWY9D3KwFA

David Bell has a good combination of size and speed that makes him a good fit at the outside receiver spot. He is fast enough to run by bigger defenders but has the strength, size and leaping ability to take advantage of size mismatches with smaller defenders as well. He can move the chains and he can make big plays downfield. It would have been nice to see what Bell and Moore could do together, but now the burden falls on Bell’s shoulders to lead the receiver group in West Lafayette.

Youngsters Who Need To Emerge

Amad Anderson Jr and Milton Wright had their moments in 2019 but will need to become steady contributors for Purdue going forward. Anderson was a redshirt freshman and totaled 343 yards on 31 catches and 3 TD for the season while Wright accounted for 288 yards on 18 catches and 1 TD as a true freshman. Both players had a few good games but neither was able to string together strong performances consistently. Bell will need other receivers to compliment him on the field and Anderson and Wright are in a prime position to do just that.

Anderson is a quick player who could play out of the slot for Purdue. He has good run after the catch ability and is a versatile player who can hurt the defense in multiple ways. Anderson is not the biggest player but has some size and strength. He does have the short area quickness to be a good weapon in the slot though won’t be the big play threat Moore was, he is a talented threat who can make plays in the middle of the field.

Wright is a tall slender receiver with excellent speed and acceleration. He is able to score from anywhere on the field and has the height and body control to leap over defenders for the football. We will see if he has added the strength and polish to his game to become a steady threat on a weekly basis, but the potential is there for Wright to become a key contributor. With his speed and big play potential Wright could be an excellent deep threat in Jeff Brohm’s offense and give Bell space to operate.

Conclusion

These are are not the only players who will need to step up for Purdue to replace Moore, but they have the largest portion of the burden to carry. Jackson Anthrop is an experienced player who will provide leadership at the position. Redshirt freshmen Mershawn Rice and TJ Sheffield will be given chances to show if they are capable of handling a larger role in the offense. Recruits like Abdur-Rahman Yaseen and Collin Sullivan may see playing time sooner than expected as well. There is a need for a few players to step up and keep the defenses on their toes for Purdue to be successful without Moore in 2020.

The bottom line is that Purdue will be hard pressed to find a single player who can equal Moore. But if a few players can all elevate their games, the impact of his loss can be mitigated some. Bell has already become a star, one of the other receivers mentioned will have to take a giant leap forward for the Purdue offense to return to 2018 form. Purdue was a longshot to reach the Big Ten title game in 2020 but those odds got longer with Moore’s departure.

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The Flea of the Flicker – 05 image taken by Bely Medved is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.