LSU Football: Thaddeus Moss led Power-5 tight ends in impressive stat

LSU football tight end Thaddeus Moss led Power-five tight ends in an important statistical category.

Former LSU football tight end Thaddeus Moss will likely fall a bit in the 2020 NFL Draft, thanks a to a fracture discovered at the combine last month.

Because of the injury, which required surgery (and has a recovery time of 6-12 weeks), Moss wasn’t able to participate in the combine (though he had already said he wasn’t working out at the combine, and would instead work out at his pro-day, which has since been canceled due to the novel coronavirus outbreak).

Moss’ draft stock likely would’ve improved at the combine/pro-day.

That’s because the son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss was an important part of LSU’s offense in 2019. But because of the presence of players like Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Moss was somewhat of an afterthought.

Moss set the LSU record for receptions (47) and yards (570) by a tight end, but those numbers paled in comparison to some of his teammates.

But buried beneath the numbers is a tight end who proved to be one of the most reliable receiving targets in college football.

According to Pro Football Focus, 82.5 percent of passes that targeted Moss were completed. That percentage led all Power-5 tight ends.

Moss is athletic, but he’s not freakishly athletic like some of the top tight ends in the NFL. But those players, of course, are few and far between.

Whoever drafts Moss is going to get a player that could be a reliable chain mover. He could be an incredible safety valve for any quarterback.

Moss is from Charlotte. And former LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady is now the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator.

The Panthers could use a young tight end after releasing veteran Greg Olsen. It would make a lot of sense for the Panthers to select Moss in the middle rounds of the draft.

They’d be getting a heck of a player for new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. And with a possible shortened off-season, Moss’ familiarity with Brady could prove to be incredibly beneficial.