When the 49ers drafted Tarvarius Moore in the fourth third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, it may have left a few scratching their heads. Perhaps some hadn’t heard of Moore and others wondered why another safety when they had Jaquiski Tartt and Adrian Colbert. Well, the 49ers wasted no time in moving Moore to cornerback where he’ll play in the pros, and he may have a chance to be something special.
“I think the 49ers got a steal. He’s a kid that’s going to get better and better, that athleticism is off the charts,” said Jay Hopson, his former head coach at Southern Miss. Hopson joined Joe Fann on the 49ers Studios Podcast and had nothing but glowing praise for his former player.
Hopson went on to say that he felt Moore would be an All-Pro. Hopson gave a timeline, saying he’d get better by the year and year three, “His talent will be off the charts.”
A former NFL defensive backs coach before going to the college game, Hopson’s no stranger to some of the best players in the secondary. He stacked Moore’s ablities up to what’s coached and said, “I’ve coached a lot of [NFL] DB’s and the bottom line is his skillset was as good as any I’ve ever seen.”
I’ve time stamped the interview below. If you were on the fence on the Moore pick before, this will definitely help you change your mind. I think we also may have to start referring to Moore as “T”. The name Hopson refers to him as.
You can listen to the interview here.
00:30 - Hopson’s scouting report on Moore
02:21 - His game at safety translating to corner
04:30 - Why Moore may have been snubbed at the Combine
07:30 - The secret coming out during Moore’s pro day about how good he was
08:35 - Specific stories of Moore that stick out
09:58 - Where does Moore stack against all the DBs Hopson coached through his career?
12:50 - Advice given to Moore when drafted