Three years after coming to Maryland as a mostly overlooked three-star prospect, wide receiver DJ Moore will leave College Park as the first Terp picked in the opening round of the NFL draft in nearly a decade.
Moore, who set a single-season school record with 80 receptions last season despite playing with five quarterbacks on a 4-8 team, was chosen by the Carolina Panthers with the No. 24 overall pick Thursday night.
Moore was the first receiver picked.
Moore, who was also named the Big Ten's top receiver last season, is the first Maryland player to be selected in the opening round since Darrius Heyward-Bey was taken No. 7 overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2009.
Considered by many after his junior year to be a second-round or even third-round pick _ and reportedly told by the NFL college advisory committee to return to College Park for a fourth season _ Moore saw his stock shoot up dramatically at the NFL scouting combine in early March.
After running the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, as well as recording a vertical jump of 39.5 inches and a standing broad jump of 11 feet, Moore moved ahead of every other receiver available, including Calvin Ridley of Alabama.
It was the longest a wide receiver had to wait to be drafted since Donnie Avery of Houston and Devin Thomas of Michigan State were taken early in the second round in 2008, at No. 33 and No. 34 by the St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins, respectively.
Two years later, the Denver Broncos took Demaryius Thomas of Georgia Tech with the No. 22 overall pick. Still, it was certainly a remarkable rise from obscurity for Moore, who took advantage of an otherwise lackluster class of receivers to become a No. 1 draft choice.
Though recruited by then-coach Randy Edsall and then-offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, Moore becomes the first player taken in the opening round during coach DJ Durkin's two-year tenure. The Terps are also hoping that cornerback JC Jackson gets drafted, likely in the fifth round or later.
