The Jets have had a way, off and on, with uncovering fourth-round gems. And they may have done it again with the selection of Malachi Moore 130th overall at this year’s NFL Draft.
“I’ve been dreaming of this ever since I started playing football as a little kid in the first grade,” the Alabama safety told newyorkjets.com senior reporter Eric Allen in his first postdraft interview as a member of the Jets. “To finally get here, all the memories of early workouts, late nights, the ups and downs of what it took to get here, all the sacrifices I had to make and my family had to make — it definitely all hits you at one time.”
OK, so every player is happy to be drafted. No big deal there. But not every player has played in and won a national championship on the FBS level. Moore, in the first of his five seasons at ‘Bama, was a starter on the Tide’s national championship team, then went to “the Nati’ ” again the next year, a loss.
Moore also enjoyed a long career with the storied program (64 games, 46 starts), and until the 2024 season, he spent his ‘Bama career playing for head coach Nick Saban, another plus for the young man from Trussville, AL.
“I took a lot from him,” Moore said. “The biggest thing was to focus on the process. Don’t be results-oriented, just be where your feet are and keep working hard. That was the thing about Coach Saban that I admired so much was his schedule. Each and every day he would eat his oatmeal cream pie or drink his coffee or get ready for practice, always on a routine. I can respect that because he was getting the most out of his 24 hours.”