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Rivers, Moss impress at Combine
Both Derek Rivers and Avery Moss had their day to shine at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Sunday.
The pair of former Youngstown State defensive ends went up against the best in their NFL Draft class. The duo competed in the 40-yard dash, the bench press, the vertical jump, the broad jump, the three-cone drill the 20-yard shuttle and the 60-yard shuttle.
Rivers had the better day of the two former Penguins. He was considered a “Top Performer” in the 40-yard dash, the bench press, the vertical jump and the three-cone drill.
Among defensive linemen, Rivers finished fourth in the 40-yard dash (4.61 seconds), fourth in the 225-pound bench press (30 reps), fifth in the vertical leap (35 inches) and third in the three-cone drill (6.94 seconds).
In comparison, Moss ran a 4.79 40-yard dash time, had 14 225-pound bench press reps, leaped 32.5 inches and completed the three-cone drill in 7.25 seconds.
Rivers and Moss were both defensive ends on last season’s YSU team that held teams to 19.9 points per game and racked up 49 sacks in 16 games, 20 more than opponents got to YSU’s quarterbacks.
Individually, Rivers had 15 sacks, 19.5 tackles for losses and recovered three fumbles. Moss racked up 11 sacks, 17.5 tackles for losses and forced four fumbles. Rivers was second in the nation in sacks last season.
According to NFL Draft analyst for NFL.com Lance Zierlein, “Rivers may lack the length and agility to be a consistent, stand-up rusher on the next level, but he has the talent to find a spot as a backup who could work his way into a more prominent role with time.”
Zierlein also said Rivers is a consistent player who has a good burst out of a stance for a pass rusher but needs to have better awareness about gaps and has a habit of playing with his head down which can lead to losing sight of running backs.
Zierlein said he believes Moss is a defensive end who can get off blocks easily and has explosive speed to get to the backfield. His analysis also says Moss needs to work on his technique instead of relying on athleticism.
But according to Zierlein, both could eventually become NFL starters.
Moss and Rivers did not respond to interview requests.