Trevon
Moehrig.
Trevon
Moehrig.
TCU· 4.50s 40
"The consensus S1 of the class after a Thorpe Award junior season: range, ball skills and Big-12 starter volume, with the tackling angle-and-form flag that follows most rangy FS profiles."Pre-draft read
This safety operates as a center-field free safety, demonstrating a corner's awareness and a linebacker's physical disposition. He ranges from hash-to-hash in single-high alignments with an easy backpedal, aggressively closes on airborne balls, and exhibits the length and ball skills to high-point at the catch point. He is comfortable rotating late from a two-shell into an underneath robber role and is physical enough to click-and-close on curl/flat combinations.
His trigger against the run is willing, but his strike zone can be inconsistent. He performs best when attacking downhill through a fitted gap and is more average as a form tackler in space when a runner makes him miss.
A Cover-3 shell values instincts, range, and ball skills, featuring a single-high safety capable of dropping down into the box.
Moehrig projects as an immediate starter at free safety in a single-high system, with a ceiling to be a multi-time Pro Bowler and eventual green-dot signal caller.
He would be devalued in a system that consistently asks its safeties to play two-high and rarely rotates into single-high looks.
Moehrig's rare combination of range, instincts, and ball skills makes him an ideal fit for any system prioritizing deep-field coverage and playmaking from the safety position.
Trevon Moehrig — TCU highlights
Best safety in college football: full TCU highlight reel showing range, ball skills and Thorpe-caliber season.
Scouting Report: Trevon Moehrig — 2021 NFL Draft
Eric Allen breaks down the Raiders' 43rd overall pick with pre-draft film.
Trevon Moehrig — Safety, TCU (Film Session)
All-22 style breakdown of coverage snaps, deep-middle reads and tackling technique.
Trevon Moehrig was widely considered the top safety prospect in the 2021 draft class, a 6'1"/202-pound free safety from TCU whose instincts consistently stood out on film. His 2020 season earned him the Jim Thorpe Award, solidifying his projection as a versatile defender capable of playing deep-middle field, rotating late, and matching receivers from the slot.
He redshirted in 2018 to gain bulk before breaking out in 2019 with 4 interceptions and 11 pass breakups. His junior year cemented his status with nine pass breakups and two interceptions against strong passing offenses. This production, combined with his high-leverage plays, positioned him as a potential late first-round draft choice.
While his athletic profile was strong, not elite, the quality of his tape, his strong football character, and TCU's track record of developing defensive backs were significant factors in his evaluation. Concerns existed regarding his tackling technique in space and his long-speed ceiling, but his overall value led to him being drafted in the second round, 43rd overall, by the Las Vegas Raiders.
- 01
Range and processing
High-end deep-safety instincts; quickly reads the quarterback from the middle of the field and shows click-and-close speed to break on throws.
- 02
Ball production
Consistent career interception and PBU rate; converts opportunities into takeaways and drives on the throw from off-leverage.
- 03
Slot-corner coverage
Real reps against slot receivers in nickel packages, comfortable in press-and-mirror looks and understands leverage rules for option routes.
- 04
Positional versatility
Legit experience across deep-half, single-high, and slot-nickel roles, fitting into diverse coverage systems without significant projection.
- 05
Football makeup
Jim Thorpe Award winner, recognized for film study and leadership, possesses the mental profile for a future defensive signal caller.
- 01
Play strength versus in-line tight ends
Average functional mass; can be stacked at the point of attack when filling the alley or holding against physical tight ends.
- 02
Tackling technique in space
Willing but inconsistent form tackler; tends to drop his head, leading to missed tackles that can turn into explosive plays.
- 03
Man-coverage floor against premier slots
Good but not elite short-area quickness; can be beaten by twitchy slot separators on quick-hitting whip routes.
- 04
Long-speed ceiling
Timed in the 4.5-second range, suggesting he is not a true burner when aligned as a single-high defender against elite vertical passing offenses.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.50sp50
- Vertical
- 33inp50
- Broad jump
- —in
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- 4.19sp50
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Texas Christian | 12 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | Texas Christian | 12 | 62 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 2 |
| 2020 | Texas Christian | 10 | 47 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| Career | — | 34 | 125 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 2 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Moehrig demonstrates the deep coverage prowess, fluidity, and consistent tackling needed to be a reliable and impactful starting free safety for years to come.
Moehrig's impressive range, instincts, and ball-hawking ability project him as a potential elite playmaker and defensive leader, much like Simmons.
While possessing good size and physicality, Moehrig's occasional missed tackles and inconsistent read steps could limit his impact to that of a solid, albeit unspectacular, starter.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Below expectations. Started immediately, average coverage grades year one, dropped in 2022-23 (missed tackles, coverage busts). Left the Raiders after 2023 for New Orleans on a 1-year prove-it; solid but unspectacular 2024, back for 2025. Career shape closer to Ha Ha Clinton-Dix than Justin Simmons — starter, not star.
**Pre-draft context.** Trevon Moehrig entered the 2021 cycle as the consensus top safety on most boards, a 6'1"/202-pound free safety out of TCU with instincts that popped on every re-watch and a 2020 season that earned him the Jim Thorpe Award as college football's best DB. He arrived from San Antonio as a 3-star recruit, redshirted in 2018 to bulk up, then broke out as a 2019 sophomore with 4 INT and 11 PBUs in a Gary Patterson defense that asked its safeties to play deep-middle field, rotate late, and match #2 vertical from the slot. His junior year cemented the label: nine PBUs, two picks, elite tape against the Baylor / Oklahoma State / Texas passing games, and a résumé heavy on high-leverage plays — the kind of production that made evaluators pencil him into the back-half of round one. His athletic profile was strong-not-elite (4.51e 40, 38" vertical, 6.79 three-cone at his TCU pro day; no combine because of COVID year), but the tape, the football character and the TCU DB pedigree carried the bag.
**Fit with Las Vegas.** a cover-3 shell in Las Vegas was a textbook Moehrig landing spot: single-high safety asked to play the post, drive on the ball, and travel between the deep third and the low hole. He started every game he was healthy for as a rookie (15 starts, 79 tackles, 1 INT, 9 PBUs) and was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded rookie safety by year end. Patrick Graham took over the defense in 2022 and asked him to blitz more and drop into robber underneath — the range was still there, but the tackling in the alley started to show as the biggest hole in the résumé. Three years, 45 starts, one INT-per-year pace and consistent PFF grades in the 65–72 range set the floor. When his rookie deal expired in March 2025, Dan Morgan and the Carolina Panthers made him the highest-paid safety in football on a 3-yr / $51M deal ($34M guaranteed) — a market-defining contract for a player who never made a Pro Bowl.
**Retrospective.** The pick reads as a solid second-round hit, not a home run. Vegas targeted the right archetype at the right value with the pre-draft consensus's best safety, and Moehrig immediately became the best DB on their roster and the anchor of the back end for three seasons. He did not develop into the ballhawking, splash-play free safety the 2020 Thorpe tape suggested — the interceptions never came in bulk at the pro level, and the missed tackle rate ticked up as opponents tested him closer to the LOS. But the length, range and reliability were real, and the fact that a rival GM paid him $17M/yr on the open market in year 5 validates the projection: high-floor NFL starter, above-average deep safety, tone-setter in coverage rotations. In a class where Jamin Davis, Kwity Paye and Payton Turner were the round-one defensive names, taking Moehrig with the 11th pick of round two aged as clean value.