NY Jets WR Elijah Moore is a top breakout candidate for 2022

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Elijah Moore / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The NY Jets could have a breakout star on their hands in young wide receiver Elijah Moore. Following a very promising rookie season, many have begun to tout Moore as a player who could shine in his sophomore NFL campaign.

That was the opinion shared by Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus who listed Moore as one of the NFL's top breakout candidates for the 2022 season.

Moore showed signs of future stardom as a rookie putting together an impressive midseason stretch before an untimely injury ended his season prematurely.

While others such as Zach Wilson, Michael Carter, and even Alijah Vera-Tucker could've been considered, it's no surprise to see Moore receive the nod. His ceiling might be the highest of them all.

Here is what Renner had to say about the Jets' second-year wide receiver.

"Before he went down for the season, [Elijah] Moore was starting to round into the Jets' unquestioned No. 1 receiver. In his final six games, Moore averaged 5.7 receptions and 76.5 yards per game. That’s 96 catches and 1,300 yards if extrapolated out to a full 17-game season. He did it all while playing over 70% of his snaps split wide despite playing almost exclusively from the slot at Ole Miss. With a Zach Wilson emergence and a clean bill of health, Moore should be a 1,000-yard receiver."
Michael Renner

NY Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore has All-Pro potential

Moore's six-game pace in the middle of the season showed glimpses of his sky-high ceiling. As Renner points out, Moore was on pace for nearly 100 catches for 1,300 yards if his midseason dominance stretched over the course of a 17-game season.

This was despite subpar quarterback play and while he was playing a position he didn't play much of at Ole Miss. The Jets remain incredibly high on Moore and believe he could develop into the true No. 1 wide receiver they've been searching for.

The 21-year-old finished his rookie season with 43 catches for 538 yards and five touchdowns despite playing only 11 games. He also had just nine catches for 79 yards over the first seven weeks of the season.

There's every reason to believe, however, that a healthy Moore could establish himself as one of the best young wide receivers in football in 2022.

The Jets are hoping that their young offensive core can grow together. The more Zach Wilson and Michael Carter succeed, the more Elijah Moore should succeed as well.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.