Terry Moore
Ohio State#211 overallDraft Movement
Down 34 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
Terry Moore is a converted running back turned ball-hawking safety who broke out at Duke before transferring to Ohio State for the 2026 season, stepping into a Buckeyes secondary that lost first-rounders Caleb Downs and Lorenzo Styles. A three-star dual-threat back in Washington, North Carolina, Moore enrolled at Duke in January 2022 and spent his first college season at running back (29 carries, 128 yards) before the staff flipped him to safety in spring 2023, and the move unlocked him. As a junior in 2024 he started all 13 games and posted 71 tackles, seven TFLs, four interceptions, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles, capped by a 59-yard pick-six against Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl, the longest interception return in Duke bowl history. He graded as one of the top safeties in the nation and was named a Second Team All-American. The evaluation community is split on his ceiling. Some scouts rank him among the best safeties in the class with a late-second-round projection, praising his hip flexibility, ball skills and instincts; others are more measured, noting his competitiveness and feel jump off the screen but flagging shorter strides, only adequate stop-start ability and a consistently high missed-tackle rate that may cap him as a two-high coverage piece. He profiles as a high-floor, scheme-dependent coverage safety and immediate sub-package contributor whose every-down upside hinges on cleaning up his tackling and adding strength.
Strengths
- Graded among the nation's top safeties in 2024
- Elite ball production with four INTs, five PBUs and two forced fumbles as a junior
- Natural hands and tracking, including a 59-yard pick-six in the Gator Bowl
- Exceptional hip flexibility and a smooth backpedal that mirror coverage concepts
- Reads QB eyes and jumps routes before they develop, evidence of high feel
- Versatile across deep, slot and box roles after only three years at the position
- Light on his feet in the slot with competitiveness that jumps off the screen
Weaknesses
- Consistently high missed-tackle percentage every year of his career
- Slight 195-pound frame needs bulk to hold up against tight ends and bigger slot bodies
- Shorter strides and only adequate stop-start ability likely limit him to two-high deep work
- Average straight-line speed may let elite vertical threats separate late in routes
- Only three years of safety reps invite mental lapses against complex schemes
- Run-defense and gap discipline still developing as a recent position convert
College Stats
Duke 2022 (RB): 29 car, 128 yds over 8 gms; 2024 (S): started 13 gms, 71 tkl (45 solo), 7 TFL, 4 INT (83 yds), 5 PBU, 2 FF; 25 career games, 1,171 snaps; transferred to Ohio State for 2026
Measurables
Awards & Honors
Second Team All-American (Action Network) 2024; Second Team All-ACC 2024; grades as a top-10 safety in the class with a late-second-round projection