Jaylon Moore went to Western Michigan as a tight end after playing that positions and on both sides of the trenches in high school. He left as a left tackle and the No. 155 pick by the 49ers in the draft.
Changing positions didn’t impact his success in the college ranks though. The 6-4, 311-pound left tackle was a monster pass blocker who thrived as a run blocker on outside zone runs, which is a staple of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Pro Football Focus’ Jeff Deeney posted stats on Twitter after the pick that show a dominant college career for Moore:
Originally recruited by Western Michigan as a TE, Jaylon Moore played 1,129 pass blocking snaps at tackle, allowing just 28 QB pressures. Similar to Aaron Banks, he also graded higher run blocking on zone plays (80.4) vs. gap (58.3). #49ers
— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) May 1, 2021
Moore’s one position switch shows he may be able to make the move to the interior in the pros without much problem. However, his blocking stats in college are a sign the club might like him as a tackle, despite his lack of ideal size.
If he can step in and be that kind of pass blocker and a tremendous run blocker, it won’t matter what position he plays — he’ll be a good pickup on Day 3.
