Former K-State football players Wyatt Hubert, Briley Moore impress at Wildcats’ pro day
It’s far too early for Wyatt Hubert and Briley Moore to accurately forecast when or if a team will select them in the upcoming NFL Draft, but both former Kansas State football players are confident they boosted their professional stock on Tuesday at the Wildcats’ pro day.
Hubert said he ran the three-cone drill in 7 seconds, which was a major goal for him coming into the day. He wanted to prove to NFL scouts that he can move fast enough laterally to play either defensive end or outside linebacker at the next level.
Moore, who lost 10 pounds preparing for this event, said he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds and completed 26 repetitions on the bench press.
“I feel confident in what I did,” Moore said. “I believe I was able to put up numbers that I can go to sleep comfortably with tonight.”
Under normal circumstances, both Hubert and Moore would have been showcasing their talents along with the other top prospects in their draft class at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. But the coronavirus pandemic forced all players to run, jump and lift virtually at their schools’ individual pro days.
Both Hubert and Moore said they would have rather experienced the real thing, but they thought doing it this way will still help them in the long run.
Hubert is particularly confident in his abilities at the next level after twice earning first team All-Big 12 honors as a pass-rusher at Kansas State. He said he has spoken with a number of NFL teams, including the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs. He actually plans to speak with the Chiefs again this weekend.
He played defensive end in college, but thinks he is versatile enough to switch to outside linebacker in the NFL.
“I definitely have a lot of things that a lot of other players don’t have,” Hubert said. “My football IQ, my knowledge of the game. That is something that exceeds a lot of players, a lot of guys in this draft class, just how smart I am on the field, how many different positions I play and how experienced I am. That’s what really sets me apart.”
Hubert is considered a middle-round prospect by most draft experts.
There seems to be a wider range of outcomes for Moore, but he has emerged as an intriguing target for teams because of his ability to both block and run routes.
He hoped to mature into a versatile tight end when he transferred from Northern Iowa to K-State for his final season of college football. With the Panthers, he considered himself more of a pass-catcher. With the Wildcats, he wanted to prove he could also be part of a productive running attack.
Mission accomplished, it seems.
Scouts have told Moore that they are both surprised at well he blocks and how well he catches passes.
“I love to hear that,” Moore said. “Whenever I hear different things from scouts, that just shows the versatility I believe that I have.”
No K-State players were drafted last year. Hubert and Moore are hoping to change that in the spring.
Hubert spent the past few months training for K-State’s pro day with other prospects in Pensacola, Fla. Moore worked out mostly in Phoenix.
They both took that time seriously and looked in peak physical shape while speaking with media on Tuesday.
It remains to be seen what lies ahead of them at the NFL Draft, but for now they like their trajectories.
“Whether it’s earlier, whether it’s later, whether it’s as a free agent, a team is going to get the same me,” Moore said. “I’m going to come in and compete to make a 53-man roster and do what I can for a team.”