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In the hours after last week\u2019s NFL Draft, the Dolphins snagged a first-team All-American at arguably their weakest position.<\/p>\n
But while Louis Moore was exemplary in 2025 \u2014 picking off six passes and helping anchor a sturdy secondary on Indiana\u2019s national championship team \u2014 NFL evaluators have doubts about whether his modest size (5-10, 191) and limited athleticism will lend itself to a long-term NFL career.<\/p>\n
When the Dolphins hold their rookie minicamp on May 8, Moore will begin his attempt to prove to NFL people that he\u2019s plenty athletic enough to be a productive pro.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the reasons he didn\u2019t get drafted is the size and athletic traits are not always there,\u201d East-West Shrine bowl director of football operations Eric Galko said by phone this week. (Moore was invited to Galko\u2019s game but pulled out because of Indiana\u2019s long playoff run.)<\/p>\n
But \u201cthis is a guy you want out there in five DB, six DB [defensive back] looks and make him make a play on the ball,\u201d Galko said. \u201cThird-and-long, he can be of value. He knows how to play from a tackling and cover standpoint. He can help on special teams, play both safety spots.\u201d<\/p>\n
And don\u2019t gloss over the six interceptions last season. \u201cThose were earned,\u201d Galko said. \u201cHe was in the right place, reading the quarterback\u2019s eyes and making plays. He will be a coach eventually if he wants to.\u201d<\/p>\n
But even after finishing second in the country in interceptions, Moore couldn\u2019t sneak into the final round of the draft.<\/p>\n
His 4.63 40-yard dash time at Indiana\u2019s Pro Day didn\u2019t help. Also working against him: He will be 25 when training camp opens. And there\u2019s this: He had a 4.45 Relative Athletic Score, a metric that evaluates NFL prospects by comparing their athletic ability to historical data for their specific position. The score ranked 729 out of 1,311 free safeties tested going back to 1987.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s an average athlete, lacking agility and speed, and struggles matching receivers,\u201d NFL.com\u2019s Lance Zierlein said. \u201cHe will face major obstacles in pursuing and tackling NFL runners in the open field. But his athletic deficiencies could be tough to overcome. [He has] below-average arm length and wingspan\u2026. Athleticism and speed appear to be severely lacking when playing in space\u2026 [He] lacks reactive quickness and agility as open-field tackler.\u201d<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s also a lot to like about his game. He\u2019s around the ball a lot; besides the six picks, he also 88 tackles last season.<\/p>\n
Zierlein said he \u201cdisciplined in reading keys and being in the right place at the right time [and] plays with above-average ball skills and instincts from depth [and] tracks and adjusts to ball flight like a center fielder [and] closes on receivers with accurate angles to stop them cold.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was critical of Moore early last season, after he picked off passes in the Hoosiers\u2019 first two games.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got talent,\u201d Cignetti said at the time. \u201cHe\u2019s played a lot of football. He\u2019s got to practice better. He\u2019s got to prepare better. He\u2019s got to play with more urgency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cignetti was particularly unhappy with how he handled an interception against Kennesaw State.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould have taken the ball down the sideline like he\u2019s taught instead of going straight ahead and getting tackled and then running in the end zone, [comporting himself like] \u2018look at me,\u201d Cignetti said. \u201cI don\u2019t like that stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moore also spent much of last September wondering if his college career would end at any time.<\/p>\n
The NCAA initially rejected Moore\u2019s petition and appeal for an additional year of eligibility in 2025, and Moore then filed a lawsuit against the NCAA. He was able to play while his case was adjudicated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first couple games, I\u2019m like, \u2018OK, this might be my last game,\u2019\u201d Moore said last season. \u201cSo that was stressful, but I just tried to make the most of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Sept. 24, Moore was awarded an injunction against the NCAA, allowing him to play all season.<\/p>\n
And he seemingly took off from there, picking off a pass three days later against Iowa (and now Dolphins quarterback) Mark Gronowski, then intercepting another pass two weeks later off projected 2027 top-10 pick Dante Moore in an upset win at Oregon.<\/p>\n
He intercepted Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, a potential high pick in the 2027 Draft, in the Big 10 championship game.<\/p>\n
He allowed just a 45.1 passer rating in his coverage area, permitting 21 receptions on 35 attempts for 194 yards and one touchdown allowed, to go with the six interceptions.<\/p>\n
Moore was named All-Big Ten First Team by the coaches, All-Big Ten Second Team by the media, All-America First Team by Sports Illustrated, CBS, and On3, and he was named All-America Second Team by the AP.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really happy for Louis,\u201d Cignetti said in January. \u201cHe had to overcome some obstacles to get where he is today. He had that NCAA thing hanging over his head during fall camp and the first three or four games of the season. So I\u2019m sure that was a distraction. Once he got that behind him, boy, he really came on.<\/p>\n
Moore has had an interesting career, starting his journey as a wide receiver at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, then spending two years at Indiana, making 10 starts in the second of those years.<\/p>\n
After Tom Allen was fired as coach and replaced by Cignetti, he moved to Mississippi, where he battled injuries and started just two of 11 appearances. He recorded 36 total tackles (17 solo), 2.0 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, and one pass breakup. But he missed Indiana and returned to Bloomington, this time with Cignetti as coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the year I had at Ole Miss, I just wanted to come back and go out the right way,\u201d Moore said last year. \u201cI got injured at Ole Miss and that wasn\u2019t what I planned on doing in my last year. I just wanted to come back and be at peace with where I was at.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moore \u201cactually was a starter on the team the year before I came,\u201d Cignetti said. \u201cWent in the portal when I was hired. Went to Ole Miss, and then saw what we were doing here and returned for this season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Dolphins hope his college success translates to the pros. The Dolphins could certainly use the help at safety; they have only three veterans under contract (Lonnie Johnson Jr., Zayne Anderson and Dante Trader Jr.), plus developmental player Omar Brown and fifth-round pick Michael Taaffe.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got great ball skills and football instincts,\u201d Cignetti said. \u201cAnd he\u2019s been a huge part of our defensive success.\u201d<\/p>\n
Front-office changes<\/p>\n
The Dolphins this week parted ways with former interim general manager Champ Kelly as well as multiple scouts who were hired years ago by the team\u2019s previous regime.<\/p>\n
Per CBS\u2019 Matt Zenitz, new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan hired Jaguars senior personnel executive Josh Scobey, who previously worked as the Arizona Cardinals\u2019 director of college scouting.<\/p>\n
Kelly worked a year for the Dolphins and was named Dolphins interim general manager after Chris Grier was fired on Oct. 31.<\/p>\n
The week after the draft is typically the time that NFL scouts\u2019 contracts expire, and also the time that new general managers can reshape their front offices. Sullivan already has done most of the heavy lifting in that regard, having previously hired Kyle Smith and Jon Robinson for top executive roles.<\/p>\n
The Dolphins did not say how many scouts were let go.<\/p>\n
This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 11:17 AM.<\/p>\n