On May 8th 2014, the NFL draft will begin. While no D2 prospects are expected to go in the first round a few of them are likely to be picked during the seven rounds. Zach Moore is one of them.

For those that don't know of Zach Moore, he was basically the defensive player that NSIC football coaches worried the most about. At 6-5 and 269lbs, Zach is an athletic pass rusher who tallied 33 sacks during his collegiate career. He didn't get the headlines that players like Wolf, Klaphake, and Vogler of the past has received, but that's because his team had a losing record 3 of the 4 years he played.

With the draft being less than two weeks away, I figured it was a good time to reach out to Zach and see how things are looking for him going forward.



MW: Zach, you are from the South Side of Chicago. Being from the Chicagoland area myself, I'm pretty familiar where you are from. You went to Simeon High School. There's a lot of history at Simeon with guys such as Derrick Rose and Jabari Parker. What's is like coming from a school with such athletic tradition attached to it?
Zach Moore: Well looking back it couldn't have been a better experience, I couldn't have been at a better high school. It really gave me the chance to grow since I started playing football when I was a freshman, and I'd never played it before. But yes, being around athletic guys at the school like Derrick Rose and Martez Wilson (Dallas Cowboys) who was drafted by the New Orleans Saints. It was a very humbling experience being around them.



MW: I recall when we would play games against teams in the city like Mt. Carmel, Morgan Park, and Julian, that we played at old Gately Stadium. Did you play your high school games there since you guys were in the Chicago Public League?
Zach Moore: Yes, we played Morgan Park every year. We pretty much played all our games at Gately, unless there was a special first game of the year and those were played at Soldier Field.

MW: During the last 10 years or it seems like Chicago teams are having a lot more success in the high school playoffs than years ago. At Simeon you guys experienced some of that as well.
Zach Moore: Yes, I think the Public League (city teams) has gotten much better due to getting much better coaches. A lot more young kids are seeing that they can get recruited out of the city.



MW: When you were coming out of high school, you were recruited by Big 10 teams like Ohio State and Michigan, but you didn't academically qualify and it held you back from going D1. How did you come upon Concordia St. Paul after that point?
Zach Moore: That's kind of an interesting story. Yes, as you mentioned I wasn't able to accept a D1 scholarship due to my academics. One of the D1 schools that had recruited me, the University of South Dakota, one of the assistants there knew Travis Johansen (DB Coach, Concordia). Travis eventually became our Defensive Coordinator. But anyway, Travis called me and I made a visit, liked it, and committed to Concordia. Weird thing is, the guy from USD was my Defensive Coordinator my Senior year, Todd Strop.

MW: How's life different in the Twin Cities, versus where you're from in Chicago?
Zach Moore: It's much different. Being from Chicago and especially being an inner-city South-side kid, you are aren't used to diversity. St. Paul has Whites, Blacks, Asians, Latinos, and others. Back in Chicago I was pretty much just used to being around African American kids. You have to approach people differently in terms of body language, how you act and stuff. It was weird at first, but I adjusted to it quickly.

MW: Were you missing things like deep dish pizza and italian beef sandwiches? (haha)
Zach Moore: HA..yup, I did actually get a little homesick the first week I was here. I wasn't used to being away from home that long. So my freshman year of fall camp I had to get used to things.

MW: Taking at look at your football career at Concordia, I had a chance to see how disruptive you could be when I saw you against the University of Sioux Falls in 2012. You had sacks, hurries, tackles, and were in the backfield quite a bit. You had a really banner year in 2012, but then your stats dropped off a bit in 2013. Why do you suppose? Was it teams keying on you after that big season?
Zach Moore: I don't really like to make excuses for things. I think for me personally I was asked to do a lot more in the defense in our new 3-4 scheme in 2013 than I was in the 4-3 scheme that we had previous to that. It was all about being a team guy. Honestly, I wasn't looking at my own stats during the season. We were thinking about team goals, not my own.



MW: Looking back now at your college career, what was your most memorable game?
Zach Moore: My most memorable game was in 2010 versus Mankato, at their place. The atmosphere was crazy (5,000) fans. It felt like a real gameday crowd. They were 11th ranked and we knocked them off 28-26. Great game played by both teams and I remember blocking a field goal.

MW: You got a chance to participate at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, which is quite the honor for a D2 player. How was that experience? Were you able to interact with any of the other D2 guys there or were you split up for the weekend by position groups?
Zach Moore: We were tied together by position groups, and each group wasn't at the combine at the same days. It was hard to interact with other position groups because of that. I was able to get to know a few of the guys there though, like Mike Pennel (CSU-Pueblo) and Ethan Westbrooks (West Texas A&M). All the rest of them were basically D1 prospects, but it was fun being around all those guys.

MW: I'm sure you've been looking at some of these mock drafts. I've seen you typically around the 6th round. What round are you hearing?
Zach Moore: It's really hard to tell. I try not to pay attention to the mock drafts. I hear about them sure, and I've heard as high as the 4th round and as late as the 7th. Only the GM's really know though. I've told my agent that I'd rather stick to doing private workouts and doing the best I can to position myself the best. There's been a lot of hard work leading up to this draft and that's pretty much my focus.



MW: The draft being 7 rounds, and you being a small school player, you certainly run the risk of not getting drafted. If that were to occur, what's the plan from there?
Zach Moore: Well, if worst case scenario happens and I don't get drafted then I'm basically a free agent. Personally, for me, I think that with all the hard work I've put into this that I will be drafted. I think the impression that I've made on the teams, the way I've carried myself, the interviews, and the fact that I really put my best foot forward. I'm really not letting the small school label hold me down. I think at the combine that I showed I fit with those guys and I think I really put it all out there.

MW: I'm sure you've had chances to workout with teams privately. Are you at liberty to say who some of those teams were and what exactly they'd see your role being with their football team?
Zach Moore: Yes. I've worked out for the Panthers, Falcons, Patriots, and the Dolphins. Most of them see me as a rush end and others see me as a defensive end who can move inside in time. Teams like Arizona and San Diego met with me about both the end position and also the possibility of outside linebacker (hybrid).

MW: I read that you are ready to graduate on May 9th with a degree in criminal justice. Congrats.
Zach Moore: Thanks, yes I got my email confirming that I'm all done. I've been completed with classes for a while now but yes it's great to be done.

MW: Well Zach, there will be a lot of fans of Northern Sun football who will be watching to see where you land. Good luck, and hopefully we will get a chance to see you out there on Sundays. Thanks.
Zach Moore: Thank you sir for the interview.