Riley Moss (born March 3, 2000) is an American professional football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and was a two-time All-Big Ten selection. Moss was selected by the Broncos in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Riley Moss
refer to caption
Moss with Iowa in 2022
No. 21 – Denver Broncos
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (2000-03-03) March 3, 2000 (age 24)
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Ankeny Centennial
(Ankeny, Iowa)
College:Iowa (2018–2022)
NFL draft:2023 / round: 3 / pick: 83
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 12, 2024
Total tackles:77
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:8
Interceptions:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early years

edit

Moss grew up in Ankeny, Iowa and attended Ankeny Centennial High School, where he played football and ran track.[1] He originally committed to play college football at North Dakota State entering his senior season.[2] As a senior, Moss caught six passes for 167 and a touchdown on offense and had 29 tackles and an interception on defense.[3] Moss decommitted from North Dakota State and committed to play at Iowa after receiving a late offer.[4]

College career

edit

Moss joined the Iowa Hawkeyes as a blue-shirt recruit and was awarded a scholarship after the end of his freshman season.[5][6] He was named the Big Ten Conference freshman of the week after intercepting two passes against Minnesota.[7] As a junior, Moss had 43 tackles with four passes broken up and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection.[8][9] He returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Indiana in the first game of his senior season.[10] Moss missed three games after suffering a torn posterior cruciate ligament in Iowa's 23-20 win over fourth-ranked Penn State.[11]

Professional career

edit
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+58 in
(1.84 m)
193 lb
(88 kg)
30 in
(0.76 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
4.45 s 1.48 s 2.56 s 4.15 s 6.60 s 39.0 in
(0.99 m)
10 ft 7 in
(3.23 m)
11 reps
Sources:[12][13]

Moss was selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round, 83rd overall, of the 2023 NFL draft.[14] As a rookie, he appeared in 14 games.[15]

Prior to the 2024 season, Moss was named the Broncos' second starting cornerback opposite Patrick Surtain II. He started his first game in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, becoming the first white player to start at the cornerback position in an NFL game since Jason Sehorn in 2002.[16][17]

In the fourth quarter of the Broncos' Week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Moss forced a fumble off tight end Cade Otton, which safety Brandon Jones recovered and returned for 34 yards.[18]

In Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Moss recorded his first career interception off a pass from Gardner Minshew, becoming the first white cornerback to record an interception since Sehorn in 2002.[19]

References

edit
  1. ^ Rushing, TJ (April 26, 2018). "Ankeny Centennial's Riley Moss continues record-breaking streak". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  2. ^ Holm, Dan (June 29, 2017). "Centennial's Moss commits to NDSU, Big Ten schools eye Pinegar". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  3. ^ Bain, Matthew (May 21, 2018). "Inside Iowa's recruitment of Ankeny Centennial's Riley Moss, arguably the state's best athlete". HawkCentral.com. Gannett. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Murphy, Keith (October 10, 2018). "Riley Moss to the Rescue". WHO13.com. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Dochterman, Scott (November 6, 2018). "Iowa's freshman cornerbacks struggled mightily at Purdue, but Kirk Ferentz still has confidence in the duo". The Athletic. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  6. ^ Dochterman, Scott (November 17, 2021). "How unheralded recruits Riley Moss, Kyler Schott and Zach VanValkenburg found Iowa scholarship success". The Athletic. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  7. ^ Dochterman, Scott (September 15, 2021). "How Iowa's Riley Moss earned his role and respect as a ball-hawking Hawkeye cornerback". The Athletic. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  8. ^ Vann, Leah (May 3, 2021). "Iowa football notebook: A much-needed spring ball comes to a close". The Gazette. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "Matt Hankins, Riley Moss Added to Bednarik Award Watch List". SI.com. Iowa Sports Information. October 6, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  10. ^ Rittenberg, Adam (October 26, 2021). "Iowa DB Riley Moss to miss second straight game due to knee injury". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  11. ^ Steppe, John (November 16, 2021). "Riley Moss thought he was 'done.' Instead, he has at least one more home game at Iowa". The Gazette. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  12. ^ "Riley Moss Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  13. ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Riley Moss College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  14. ^ Steppe, John (April 28, 2023). "Denver Broncos draft Iowa cornerback Riley Moss in third round with 83rd overall pick". The Gazette. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  15. ^ "Riley Moss 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Weir, Susanna (September 5, 2024). "Broncos Notebook: Cornerback Riley Moss eager to embrace bigger role in 2024 as opener vs. Seahawks approaches". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  17. ^ Heath, Jon (August 31, 2024). "Broncos poised to start Riley Moss (a white cornerback) this season". Broncos Wire. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  18. ^ "S Brandon Jones recovers fumble | Broncos at Buccaneers". DenverBroncos.com. September 22, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  19. ^ Schmidt, Matthew (October 6, 2024). "Former Iowa Hawkeyes Star Snares First NFL Interception". Iowa Hawkeyes On SI. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
edit