Zach Moore (born September 5, 1990) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
. He was drafted by the
New England Patriots in the sixth round, 198th overall, of the
2014 NFL Draft. He played
college football at
Concordia University in
St. Paul, Minnesota, where he led the defense with 14 sacks in 2012.
Early years
A native of
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, Moore attended
Simeon Career Academy
Neal F. Simeon Career Academy (formerly known as Westcott Vocational High School, Neal F. Simeon Vocational High School, Neal F. Simeon Career Technical Academy), locally known simply as Simeon, is a public four-year vocational high school locat ...
in
Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
, where he played primarily
offensive tackle as an underclassman due to his 6'6" frame. He was selected to Illinois Top 100 Players, was a Chicago 5-star recruit and was ranked in the Illinois Prairie State Top Five. He was named All-City First-team and All-State. He also competed in
track & field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
for the Wolverines.
He moved on to
Division II Concordia University, where he focused on playing
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
. He became a starter as a sophomore, registering 42 tackles (11.5 for loss) and 10 sacks. The next year, he was redshirted and did not play.
In 2012, he tallied 14 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. As a senior, he posted 33 tackles (9.5 for loss), 7 sacks, 12 quarterback hurries, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 passes defensed, and one blocked kick. He set the school record in career sacks (33) and finished third all-time in tackles for loss (45).
Professional career
Pre-draft
New England Patriots
Moore was selected in the sixth round (198th overall) of the
2014 NFL draft by the
New England Patriots, becoming Concordia-St. Paul's first player to be selected in the
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
.
During the 2014 season, Moore was active for eight regular season games, and did not play in any of the team's postseason contests, including their
Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...
victory over the
Seattle Seahawks, becoming Concordia-St.Paul's first Super Bowl champion.
In his limited snaps, Moore recorded only three tackles, but did record a half-sack (along with
Dont'a Hightower
Qualin Dont'a Hightower (born March 12, 1990) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama, receiving consensus All-American honors and winning two BCS National Championships. Hightower was sel ...
) and forced fumble of
Chicago Bears quarterback
Jay Cutler
Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
, which was returned for a touchdown by
Rob Ninkovich
Robert Michael Ninkovich (born February 1, 1984) is a former American football outside linebacker who played eleven seasons in National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Purdue as a defensive end and was drafted by the New Orle ...
. Moore also recovered a
C. J. Spiller
Clifford "C. J." Spiller Jr. (born August 5, 1987) is an American football coach and former running back who is currently the running backs coach at Clemson University. He previously served as a graduate intern at Clemson in 2020.
Spiller play ...
fumble against the
Buffalo Bills.
Moore was released by the Patriots on September 5, 2015.
Minnesota Vikings
On September 5, 2015, Moore was signed by the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
to the
practice squad, moving back to the state where his college career took place. On December 19, Moore was promoted to the 53-man roster. On September 3, 2016, he was released as part of the team's final roster cuts.
Dallas Cowboys
On September 6,
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
, Moore was signed to the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 16, when the team was forced to play him against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
, because of injuries to
DeMarcus Lawrence
DeMarcus Lawrence (born April 28, 1992) is an American football defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Bu ...
and
Cedric Thornton. He was released on December 26, to make room for
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
Randy Gregory
Randy Gregory (born November 23, 1992) is an American football outside linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska, and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of ...
, who was coming off a suspension.
San Francisco 49ers
On December 27,
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
, Moore was claimed off waivers by the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, in order to secure his rights for the
2017 season. He was declared inactive for the last game of the regular season. On May 2, 2017, Moore was waived by the 49ers.
Carolina Panthers
On May 3, 2017, Moore was claimed off waivers by the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
. He was waived on September 2, 2017, and was signed to the Panthers' practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on December 2, 2017.
On September 1, 2018, Moore was released by the Panthers.
Arizona Cardinals
On September 2, 2018, the Cardinals claimed Moore off of waivers.
He played in all 16 games recording 14 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
References
External links
Concordia Golden Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Zach
Living people
1990 births
American football defensive ends
Players of American football from Chicago
Concordia Golden Bears football players
New England Patriots players
Minnesota Vikings players
Dallas Cowboys players
San Francisco 49ers players
Carolina Panthers players
Arizona Cardinals players