DJ Moore is one of the fresh talents who made their way into America’s professional football league during the 2018 National Football League (NFL) Draft.
He played college football at the University of Maryland where he was the 2017 Big Ten Receiver of the Year and first-team all-conference selection. Although DJ Moore was an outstanding receiver at Maryland, he kept a low national profile there. However, after years of relative anonymity as a college player, he finally got people’s attention with his amazing performance in the 2018 NFL Combine. He was picked by the Carolina Panthers in the first round.
DJ Moore Bio
Denniston Moore Jr. simply known as DJ Moore was born on April 14, 1997, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Growing up with two very much older siblings gave room for him to be pampered so when he was still a toddler, his mom would take him in his stroller to watch his sister cheer. One day, according to his mother, one of the coaches let him out of the stroller and he began running up and down the field and that was the beginning of his journey to the NFL.
The Panthers first round pick was a student of Imhotep Institute Charter High School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During his time there, DJ excelled in the classroom and was given an award as a member of the National Honors Society. As a senior in the school, the player was named All-State honors having recorded 35 receptions for 1,012 and 16 touchdowns. Scout.com also selected him as the best wide receiver in Pennsylvania state and he was considered to be a high three-star recruit in the 2015 class.
Upon graduation from high school, he enrolled at the University of Maryland where he played football for the Maryland Terrapins from 2015 to 2017. As a freshman, he played 12 games and started 10 of them and recorded 25 receptions for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns. During his sophomore season, he started 13 games, leading the team in receiving yards (41 receptions for 637 yards) and receiving touchdowns (6).
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As a junior in 2017, DJ Moore continued to show his durability and consistency. He started all 12 games and set a Maryland single-season reception record with 80 catches for 1,033 yards and 8 touchdowns, becoming the third player in school history to make 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. At the end of the year, his outstanding performance earned him the First Team All-Big-Ten and the 2017 Big Ten Receiver of the Year.
At this point, the player felt he was ready to join the NFL so he decided to join the 2018 Draft even though he still had one year of college eligibility left. However, the NFL draft committee advised him to return for one more year in college but the player insisted, having sought counsel from his family and his coaches.
The standout Maryland wide receiver proved to be a workout warrior at the NFL Combine, scoring high points in all the drills. After then, his stock rose from 5th to 2nd in Mike Mayock’s ranking of draft receiver prospects while Todd McShay of ESPN projected him to be the 29th overall pick by the Jaguars. Generally, he was expected to be picked in the first round and it turned out to be just so.
DJ was later selected by the Carolina Panthers and was the 24th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. On June 18, 2018, sealed his deal with the team with a 4-year contract worth $11.2 million, including a bonus of $6.2 million.
DJ Moore Family
DJ Moore is the son of Donna Ridley but according to her son, everybody addresses her by her nickname ‘Cookie’ because she does not like going by her first name, Donna. His father seems not to be a part of his life as there is no information about him, not even from DJ who often talks about his mother in interviews.
The player is the last child of the family and was raised by his mother in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, alongside his two siblings who are very much older than him. Because of the age difference, DJ was more like the only child while growing up. Consequently, he was and is still very attached to his mother who he describes as his “backbone” and the strongest influence in his life.
Moore has a quiet nature which is not something you see in a lot of football players but he did not get this from his momma who he says is the very opposite. No wonder they share a close bond…Opposite attracts right?
The close-knit family was there when DJ Moore was picked by the Panthers and in a brief moment of overwhelming emotion, he looked at his mom who sat at his left-hand side and shared a hug with her before hugging his siblings. It was an emotionally charged moment for the family and with his mom, sister and brothers shedding tears of joy, he could not but cry too.
Not too long after DJ signed his rookie contract, he bought his mother a new white Mercedes Benz. He said it was just special knowing he could give back after she has done so much for him. The standout Maryland wide receiver, being in the NFL is not just about living his dream of being a football player but also about showing his biggest fan – his mother – that there is still more to come.
Height, Weight, Body Measurements
DJ Moore has been described as a devastating mix of hands, speed, and power. He demonstrated this as a college player and also did the same during the draft process. At the NFL Combine, he measured 6 feet 0 inches in height, weighed 210 lb and recorded a 95/8 inches hand size. His arm length and wingspan were 315/8” and 762/8” respectively.
The wide receiver measured an inch taller than his listed height at Maryland and five pounds lighter. However, it is nothing to worry about because the player has sometimes, weighed more than 220 pounds.
