49ers’ rookie LB is quick with the pen

By Darrell Laurant  |   Friday, May 25, 2007  |  Comments( 15 )

San Francisco 49ers
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They said Jay Moore was fast, and he proved it earlier this week. Not on the field, but by becoming the first of the 49ers' nine 2007 draft choices to sign.

It seems to be a pattern. Growing up near Omaha, Moore knew exactly where he wanted to play college football -- and as soon as the Nebraska Cornhuskers offered him a scholarship, he took it without even considering anywhere else.

A fourth-round pick last month, the 6-foot-4, 270-pounder will be switching from defensive end to outside linebacker with the 49ers. That transition was no doubt another reason for getting the deal done quickly, to avoid missing any instructional time with Mike Singletary when training camp begins.

Moore may turn out to be the steal of the draft for San Francisco because he fits so nicely into the 3-4 scheme. At Nebraska, he played off the line while Adam Carriker (a first-round pick by St. Louis) lined up tight to the tackle. He has the speed (4.7) to cover tight ends or get to the quarterback, and he may be used as a third-down specialist early on. His 38 career tackles for loss rank him sixth on the Nebraska list.

Yet as big as he is, Moore won't stand out all that much among the 49ers' linebackers, many of whom epitomize how that position has changed over the past few years. Linebacker has become a home for players who were defensive linemen in college but found themselves too underweight to grapple with the NFL's 300-pound blockers. Those "tweeners" without speed soon find another line of work. Those who can run begin putting "LB" in front of their name.

Among Moore's position mates will be 6-2, 280-pound Tully Banta-Cain; 6-1, 255-pound Brandon Moore; 6-5, 247-pound Manny Lawson; and 6-2, 274-pound Roderick Green.

Initially, the idea of the 3-4 was that multiple linebackers would be more effective shooting through gaps. Some of the 49ers' LBs, however, are hefty enough to take on blockers and still make it into the opposing backfield.

It was somewhat surprising that Moore lasted until the fourth round, given his performance in the Senior Bowl. Largely overshadowed in college by Carriker, an All-American, Moore had three sacks in the highest-profile postseason all-star game, causing fumbles on two of them.

Nevertheless, the knock on Moore as a D-lineman was his relative lack of heft, plus a perceived lack of brute strength when defending against the run. As soon as Nebraska's season was over, he began working out with the Pervi Speed School to lower his 40 time for the combine. The reinvention of Jay Moore began then.

While most draft-eligible college players sat hunched in front of their TV sets throughout Day 1 of the draft, Moore played golf.

"It was a nice day," he explained.

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