Elijah Moore: A Deep Dive into the Bills’ New Receiver

Brandon Beane is at it again. With a limited cap, a 12-man deep WR position, a priority free agent in Joshua Palmer, and a 7th-round pick at WR, the Bills appear to be taking the approach of throw as many low cost darts as possible at the board, and hope to catch lightning in a bottle.

Speaking of lightning, meet Elijah Moore.

Elijah Moore was signed by the Buffalo Bills on the Monday after the draft. If I didn’t know any better, I would guess that the Bills College scouting department considered this WR draft class to be underwhelming, and valued many other positions as a higher priority, especially CB and DL. Oh wait, I don’t have to guess, Brandon Beane has been saying that many times throughout the draft process and continued to do so in post-draft press conferences.

While there were some favorite WR prospects of mine (Jalen Royal), I simply can’t argue with the fact that the Bills defense was the element that needed the most attention.

In signing Elijah Moore, Beane is continuing his pattern of finding low-cost reclamation projects with high pedigree, and giving them a chance to shine in Buffalo.

Early Life and Background

Elijah Moore was born in Sunrise, Florida and grew up in Fort Lauderdale. He played his Junior and Senior seasons at the prestigious St. Thomas Aquinas High School, where current teammates Joshua Palmer and Joey Bosa also played their high school ball. While there, his teammates included current NFL players Asante Samuel Jr. and Jordan Battle. In his senior year, he played in 13 games, made 28 catches for 407 yards and 5 TDs. This performance and the high level of competition he had at the powerhouse prep school were enough to make him a 4-star recruit.

Upon graduating high school in 2018, he received offers from no less than 33 different D-1 Schools including Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Michigan, The U, Ohio State, Oregon, and many others. He verbally committed to Georgia, before finally deciding to attend Ole Miss.

Elijah Moore played in every game during his freshman year at Ole Miss, with the majority of his snaps coming in a special-teams role as a returner, then transitioning into a full-time starting WR. His receptions, yards and touchdowns all continued to grow in each year, with 36/398/2 as a freshman, 67/850/6 as a sophomore, and 86/1193/8 in a COVID shortened 8 games in his Junior year, averaging a whopping 149 yards per game after the arrival of new Head Coach Lane Kiffin.

Elijah entered the NFL draft after his Junior year and finished his collegiate career with:

• 189 catches
• 2441 receiving yards
• 16 touchdowns
• Selected as a Consensus All-American alongside Mac Jones, Breece Hall, DeVonta Smith, and Kyle Pitts

Moore was unable to compete in the 2021 Combine due to it being cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, he privately showed off his background as a track athlete in high school, running a 4.35 40-yard dash, good for the 93rd percentile of all NFL WRs. Throughout college, he had put on another 15 pounds of muscle, running at 5’9″ and 185 lbs at a young age of 20.

First Contract With The Jets

Elijah was seen by many as a middle of the 1st round prospect, but slid all the way to the 34th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. His size was cited as the most limiting factor, as many NFL teams seem to have projected him to be largely a slot WR.

He spent his first two seasons with the Jets, commanding 13 % of team targets and was targeted on 25% of the 302 routes he ran. He caught 43 passes for 538 yards and 5 TDs in 11 games played for Gang Green as a rookie and a measly 37 catches for 446 yards and only 1 TD, with a train wreck cadre of QBS of Zack Wilson, Mike White, Joe Flacco and Josh Johnson throwing to him in those 2 seasons. The Jets finished last in the AFC East in both of those seasons.

In 2022, Moore went from being the most targeted player as a rookie, to having the team seemingly down on what his skill set brought to the offense, instead throwing more often to Garret Wilson, Tyler Conklin, and Michael Carter, with Corey Davis competing for opportunities as well. It should have been no surprise that Moore asked for a trade and the Browns traded away a second round pick, receiving Elijah and a third round pick in return.

Playing for the Browns gave him the opportunity he desired as he received over a hundred targets in both seasons played, catching 59 times for 640 yards and 2 TDs in 2023, and 61 catches for 538 yards and 1 TD, but the QB carousel continued to turn for Elijah as he had Joe Flacco follow him to the Browns, to combine with Deshaun Watson, P.J. Walker, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson all throwing at least 100 times. In his 4 short years during his rookie contract he had played meaningful snaps with 7 different NFL quarterbacks. Almost all other WRs in his draft class, including Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, Kadarius Toney, Rashod Bateman, Rondale Moore, Tutu Atwell, Joshua Palmer, Dyami Brown, Nico Collins, Amon-Ra St. Brown, have only ever played meaningful snaps with 1-2. Gabriel Davis has played for a year longer, and still only played for 2 different QBs.

Despite the instability he was paired with, he broke the mold people had cast him into, as he played 465 snaps out of the slot, 395 snaps on the outside, with a handful in tight and in the backfield. He played 396 on the left side and 485 on the right.

At this point in his career, he is the most experienced starting receiver currently on the roster. Last season, he was on the field for more passing downs than any other Bills player, with 893 snaps, compared to Dawson Knox (617), Joshua Palmer (616), Keon Coleman (597), and Khalil Shakir (585).

Remember, while Shakir is the most established Bills receiver, he only ascended when Joe Brady took over the coordinating duties halfway through 2023. Elijah Moore has been a starter since he was drafted in 2021.

What He Can Bring To The Bills

Elijah Moore brings an outstanding pedigree and potential at a relatively low investment level. It seems as though Moore believes his path in the NFL has been derailed simply by who he has played for. In his first opportunity to select his own option, he has opted for stability and opportunity. In the time since Moore has been drafted, Bills players have played for one QB and one alone, the current reigning NFL MVP, Josh Allen.

Elijah Moore brings not only blazing speed, but also exceptional ability to change direction, as utilized in pinpoint route running the ability to run after the catch. He can play both sides of the field as well as inside and outside the hashes just as well. He is a highly touted WR in his prime that is hungry to prove himself and at 25 years of age, still has plenty of time to do it in.

Now I know that he wasn’t signed until after the draft. I know the roster already has Curtis Samuel on the roster, who Beane and McDermott have both loved since their Carolina days, who, not for nothing, also makes considerably more than Elijah will this year.

But I also know that the WR position is wide open and hungry for production. It is an established powerhouse in the NFL with a proven track record and a desire and realistic opportunity to win it all. I know that we have all been insisting that the Bills will maintain the status Quo with Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Joshua Palmer all having first dibs in the pecking order. I also expect that Curtis Samuel and Elijah Moore will be vying for snaps.

But are we sure about that?

Given the connection Josh has with Shakir, he is cemented in and written in ink. But are we sure that a veteran, experienced, highly-tauted, pedigreed, Consensus All-American, can’t revive his career by wresting time away from a fellow second-round pick sophomore player in Keon Coleman? Are we sure he can’t eat into Joshua Palmer’s snaps, who has never commanded more than 15% of the team’s snaps?

This signing has elevated this position group to the top of my list to watch out for during OTAs and training camp, with a special eye out for Elijah Moore.

Prediction

Elijah Moore is going to make this team. He provides a strange combination of both youth and experience to the position group. He has had a hard road, but had persevered and done it the right way. He checks all the boxes as a character guy in the locker room, and I honestly think the Bills will give him every opportunity to earn snaps, to develop chemistry with Josh Allen, and to make an impact on this offense.

Yes, he is 5’9″. And?

You want speed? Check. You want experience? Check. You want versatility? Check. You want youth? Check. You want a chip on the shoulder? Check.

Elijah Moore brings the one thing that he seeks and the one thing the Bills desperately need… the ability to unlock the highest potential.

That being said, he’ll have a hard road to climb. He is still on a balanced offense, who is not going to force the issue in the passing game. He plays in an everyone-eats offense. He is playing with Josh Allen, who tends to look for the guys he trusts, and for Joe Brady, who isn’t afraid to utilize matchup above all else. Maybe all Moore is looking for is the opportunity to flash so the 2026 offseason will arrive with Elijah being the center of attention.

It is, at the very least, intriguing to imagine what he could become.

Prediction: 45 targets, 35 catches, 400 yards, 5 TDs.