NY Jets: Elijah Moore 'already looks like a draft-day steal'

The NY Jets believed they had landed one of the steals of the 2021 NFL Draft when they selected Ole Miss wide receiver Elijah Moore with the 34th overall pick in the second round.

And his standout performance this spring only served to solidify that notion.

Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport recently released a list of 10 rookies who "already look like draft-day steals" following their performances during spring practices. And Moore was the second name that was mentioned.

This should come as no surprise to those who have followed the Jets this spring. It's been a long time since a player has been hyped up as much as Moore has after just a few pad-less practices.

The NY Jets are thrilled with the performance of Elijah Moore so far.

The story has been well documented to this point, but it bears repeating. When the Jets traded up from No. 23 to 14 in the draft, the assumption was that they had forfeited their chance to land Moore who was the No. 16 player on their overall board.

Yet, despite widely being seen as a first-round prospect, Moore slipped right into the Jets' laps at the beginning of the second round. Immediately, the organization believed that they had landed a superstar-caliber wide receiver prospect.

Overlooked in a stacked wide receiver class, Moore has the chance to be the Justin Jefferson of this year's draft class. And that isn't being hyperbolic — he's that good.

Moore will have to compete for playing time in a revamped wide receiver room featuring fellow offseason additions Corey Davis and Keelan Cole. But his biggest competitor for snaps will be veteran slot receiver Jamison Crowder.

Crowder has been the Jets' leading receiver in each of the last two seasons, but could be in line for a decreased role given Moore's emergence.

The Jets and Crowder agreed to a reworked deal earlier this month in which the former Washington receiver took a 50 percent pay cut. Moore's play this spring gave the Jets even more leverage than they already had.

Elijah Moore should be given every opportunity to shine in 2021 and prove that he is among the 2021 NFL Draft's biggest steals.

And based on what we've seen so far, the early signs have been incredibly promising.