2021 Cowboys scouting report: TCU safety Trevon Moehrig

In recent years, TCU has earned a reputation for churning out athletic freaks on the defensive side of the football who are able to make a fairly seamless transition to the NFL, and Trevon Moehrig is no exception. As the top safety in this draft class, Moehrig offers a lot to love.

Name: Trevon Moehrig
Position: S
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 202 lbs

2020 Stats: 10 games, 47 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 9 passes defensed

Playing cornerback in high school, Moehrig converted to safety in his freshman year at TCU. He actually won the team’s special teams MVP award at the end of the year and started in two games due to injury, recording a tackle for loss and a pick in that time. Moehrig entered the 2019 season as the full time starter and fully delivered. He tallied 62 tackles, two of which went for a loss, and picked off four passes in addition to his 11 passes defensed. He also forced two fumbles and recovered another.

He continued his stellar play into this final season, for which he won the Thorpe Award. Moehrig admittedly has the benefit of entering the draft in a weaker-than-normal class, but that doesn’t change how talented he is as a prospect.

Coverage Style: TCU runs a refreshingly diverse coverage scheme that exposed Moehrig to a wide range of responsibilities. Single high, split safety, quarters, robber, box, etc: pick a coverage role and he’s filled it. That makes him a viable fit in just about any scheme, but Moehrig offers immense value as a single-high safety in the type of scheme Dan Quinn is bringing to Dallas.

Coverage Skills: Moehrig may have done a whole lot in coverage but don’t think for a second it was too much for him. He has the kind of athleticism that allows him to cover more than just the zone he’s assigned. He routinely took away the entire portion of the field he was responsible for in zone. When tasked with man coverage, Moehrig has some adequate skills, but it’s clear why TCU didn’t want him to keep playing cornerback. His skill set is much better suited for almost exclusively zone work.

Playmaking Ability: It’s very simple: if you throw the ball in the general vicinity of Moehrig, he’s getting his hands on it one way or another. In addition to his athleticism, Moehrig does a great job of reading the quarterback’s eyes and breaking the moment the throwing motion begins. This has allowed him to get in position on plenty of throws, and his aggressive nature means going for picks first and foremost. However, he knows when to simply play through the catch point and knock the ball down. This further adds to his value as a single-high safety.

Athleticism: Faster than fast. He’s so smooth in how he turns and runs, whether it’s going upfield, coming down in run support, or moving side to side. Moehrig’s hips are so loose that he can flip in any direction and just gun it.

Run Support: Here’s his biggest weakness by far. Despite having a lot of experience in a versatile scheme, Moehrig best fits as a single-high guy for two reasons: 1) He has the traits to really excel in that kind of role, and 2) He doesn’t really offer much value closer to the line of scrimmage. Moehrig is an aggressive dude, so he’s more than willing to sprint down towards the ball-carrier, but he’s not someone you want to rely on. He often comes in out of control and doesn’t take great angles, making him a bit of a liability in run support. But again, ideally you just stick him back deep and let him roam for plays to make, and this won’t be much of a problem.

Processing: Moehrig has great instincts that are in large part due to his processing. He’s able to see everything and diagnose the play quickly enough to get in position and make a play. He was also the guy who made sure his teammates in the secondary got lined up properly and made the correct reads prior to the snap. Along with the high variance of coverages he played in, Moehrig should be able to adapt well to the mental side of the game.

Toughness: Dan Quinn may see some shades of Richard Sherman to Moehrig’s game, as the safety is always up in receivers’ faces after the play and letting them know just how good he is. That kind of mentality carries over to his play, as he thrives on physicality and being aggressive. It’s to a fault in run support, but teams still love that kind of attitude on the back end.

Intangibles: Moehrig was one of the leaders of this defense in 2020. On top of communicating things to his fellow defensive backs, he was a team captain. His attitude and tenacity positively affects the whole defense as well, and he served as the heart and soul for the unit.