Much like his brother before him, Washington Redskins Pro Bowl wide receiver Santana Moss, Sinorice Moss has proven that big things come in small packages. A key contributor on special teams since his freshman year, Moss did not equal the production his brother provided Miami during his career, but he was still a valuable part of the team’s offense.
At Carol City High School, Moss was a dangerous triple-threat athlete as a standout receiver in a run-oriented offense. He earned second-team All-Dade honors as a senior, adding All-Region accolades from Student Sports magazine and Prep Star. Florida Prep Football ranked Moss seventh among the state of Florida’s wide receivers and twenty-seventh overall. He also ranked thirteenth on the Miami-Dade Top 20 list according to the Miami Herald.
As a senior, Moss caught 23 passes for 506 yards and eight touchdowns, rushed for 86 yards on two carries and also punted 12 times for a 29-yard average (long of 44). His best game as a senior was a four-catch, 132-yard, two-touchdown outing against Goleman High. As a junior, Moss grabbed 18 passes for 432 yards and six touchdowns.
Moss was also an accomplished track athlete who ran a 10.99-second 100-meter dash at the USATF Junior National Championships as a junior. He had a personal best long jump of 22 feet, 11 inches, as a freshman and graduated as an Honor Roll student.
As a true freshman at Miami, Moss appeared in twelve games, seeing most of his action on special teams. He recorded four tackles and gained 30 yards on three receptions. He again served in a reserve role as a sophomore, totaling 111 yards on eight catches (13.9 avg) while also gaining 24 yards on a kickoff return.
In 2004, Moss was bothered by a hamstring injury that forced him to sit out the Louisville game and see limited action in several other contests. He started twice at split end and two more times at flanker. Moss ranked fourth on the team with 20 receptions for 351 yards (17.5 avg) and three touchdowns. He also posted four solo tackles and gained 19 yards on a punt return.
Moss played in 12 games as a senior, leading the Hurricanes with 37 receptions for 614 yards. He averaged 16.6 yards per reception and caught six touchdowns. He added seven carries for 55 yards.
ANALYSIS
Positives: Shows explosiveness and a quick first step to easily gain advantage on the defender…Has above average flexibility, balance, body control and change of direction agility, to go with a fluid, natural running motion…Conscientious worker in the training room and in practices…Runs precise routes, staying at the low pad level needed to generate a burst in and out of his breaks…Shows good field alertness, doing a nice job of keeping his feet in bounds along the sidelines…His quickness out of his breaks allow him to separate from defenders and immediately uncover…Maintains concentration on the ball in flight, doing a good job of adjusting his body to look the ball in…Shows good flexibility in his turning motion and times his leaps to get to the ball at its high point.
Negatives: Shorter and lighter than ideal and his frame has no room for additional growth…Has the speed to separate in the open, but lacks the strength to defeat the press and can be jammed at the line of scrimmage…Best when given a clear lane to run, as he does not have the power or leg drive to break tackles…More of a pester type as a blocker, as he does not have the strong base needed to prevent defenders from running over him when blocking at the line of scrimmage…Hard worker, but lacks production …Gets bounced around quite a bit when trying to work in the slot or over the middle (best served out on the flank and isolated in one-on-one situations).
Moss has a compact frame with a big bubble and thick thighs and calves, but his frame has minimal room for further growth. He is shorter than ideal, but shows good explosion and quickness to get off the line and into his routes. The thing you notice on film is his ability to get to top speed and accelerate past defenders. He shows good body control and balance in separating from defenders after the catch.
His sudden burst allows Moss to immediately gain advantage on the defender. He needs a clear lane in order to get off the line, as he lacks the hand strength and usage to defeat the press and prevent from being rerouted by physical cornerbacks. Moss does a nice job of dropping his weight and sinking his hips to stay at a low pad level in and out of his breaks.
Moss has a good feel for the chains and does a decent job of working back for the ball. While he is used sometimes in the slot and has the ability to make the initial tackler miss, his lack of overall strength generally sees him get "ping-ponged" when trying to squeeze through traffic or combat for the ball in a crowd. He is better served using his vertical ability to stretch the field rather than work underneath.
Moss shows natural hands to catch away from the body’s frame and is not the type who will double catch or absorb the ball into his body. He shows good flexibility to adjust to the off-target throws and has the second gear to quickly race past defenders. When he attempts to break tackles though, he is easily brought down due to size limitations and strength issues. Few defenders can recover when Moss beats them on long routes, but he is not the overpowering type who can drive through defenders.
Moss tries to make an effort as a blocker, but is generally a non-factor. He has had some durability issues in the past, but when healthy his fluid, natural running motion lets him make the big plays. However, with all of his speed and natural hands, he has not produced or even come close to matching the numbers his brother, Santana, delivered for Miami.
With his speed, he might be able to contribute as a return specialist, but through four seasons, he was not utilized much in that role for the Hurricanes. His body control is evident by his ability to get in and out of his routes with a quick and fluid motion. Moss will be drafted much higher due to his quickness and not for his somewhat minimal production.
INJURY REPORT
2004: Sat out the Louisville game due to a hamstring pull.
CAREER NOTES
One of four team captains, Moss started 12 of 46 games for the Hurricanes…Has played flanker, split end and as a slot back…Has 63 receptions for 1,046 yards (16.6 avg) and eight touchdowns…His 92-yard catch vs. Temple in 2005 was the second-longest reception in school history, topped only by Horace Copeland’s 99-yarder vs. Arkansas in 1991…Brother, Santana, was a standout All-American receiver at Miami from 1997-2000 and holds the school career-record with 2,546 yards receiving while ranking third on the UM all-time record chart with 143 catches.
AGILITY TESTS
Campus: 4.45 in the 40-yard dash…35-inch vertical jump…300-pound bench press…435-pound squat…250-pound power clean.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Carol City (Miami, Fla.) High school, playing football for head coach Walt Frazier…Was a dangerous triple-threat athlete as a standout receiver in a run-oriented offense…Earned second-team All-Dade honors as a senior, adding All-Region accolades from Student Sports magazine and Prep Star…Florida Prep Football ranked Moss seventh among the state of Florida’s wide receivers and twenty-seventh overall…Also ranked thirteenth on the Miami-Dade Top 20 list according to the Miami Herald…As a senior, Moss caught 23 passes for 506 yards and eight touchdowns, rushed for 86 yards on two carries and also punted 12 times for a 29-yard average (long of 44)…His best game as a senior was a four-catch, 132-yard, two-touchdown outing against Goleman High…As a junior, Moss grabbed 18 passes for 432 yards and six touchdowns…Also an accomplished track athlete who ran a 10.99-second 100-meter dash at the USATF Junior National Championships as a junior…Had a personal best long jump of 22 feet, 11 inches, as a freshman…Honor Roll student.
PERSONAL
Criminology major…Brother, Santana, was an All-American receiver at the University of Miami (1997-2000), where he holds the school career-record with 2,546 yards receiving and ranks third all-time with 143 receptions. Santana was a first round selection by the New York Jets in the 2001 NFL Draft and presently plays for the Washington Redskins…Nickname is "Nory"…Son of Natalie and Lloyd Moss…Born Sinorice Travonce Moss on 12/28/83…Resides in Miami, Florida.
