Scouting Cal Freshman TE Ben Moos

On the list of things to look forward to from 2017 California Golden Bears TE commit Ben Moos.

1. His already college-ready size, weighing in at 6’4” 240lb.
2. That he plays a physical, bruising style that has been absent at Cal for a long time
3. A great name - yelling Mooooooooooos after a big hit or a big catch

With that said, those are just a few things that we can look forward to both with the introduction of Moos to Cal and the re-introduction of the tight end into the Cal offense.

In his highlight reel, we see Moos physically dominate smaller opponents with his superior size and strength. But how well will he hold up against players who are just as big and strong if not bigger and stronger than he is? The good news is I think that he will hold up just fine. Not only is he a big, strong, physical blocker but he also shows great technique with great hand placement and good knee bend. Combine that with good lateral quickness and violent hands and we have most of the essential ingredients for the makings of a quality pass protecting tight end.

It turns out that Moos is a quality run blocker as well. He shows the ability to get off the line quickly and locate defenders downfield. Once he gets his hands on them, he uses good technique and great strength to drive them backwards. He absolutely bullies smaller defenders and loves to hit, often looking for players to block in the open field. Moos really moves the line of scrimmage and with his size, toughness, and physicality he should be able to do that at the next level as well.

As a pass catcher, Moos does not possess game-breaking ability as we only see one highlight where he simply runs past the opposing defender. Rather than blow by defenders, Moos runs tight routes and gets out of his breaks quickly in order to create separation from defenders. He shows a knack for locating the soft spot in the defense and shows good hands and body control as well. After the catch, he shows some wiggle and when he is unable to do so he instead embraces the contact and tries to run through opposing defenders. One thing that we don’t really see is Moos absorb a large hit while catching the ball. While much of that is a testament to his knack for getting open and locating the soft pocket, he will surely absorb some hits at the next level.

Moos certainly has the prototypical size for a hand-in-the-dirt blocking tight end, and that is how I think that he will play for Cal. However, don’t expect Moos to simply be a one trick pony as he shows the ability to get open and catch the ball as well. Provided that he is still able to do so at the next level, don’t be surprised if Moos gets playing time sooner than later.