Derrick Moore flashes in Lions debut, envisions "dominant duo" with Hutch

On his first NFL snap, Derrick Moore charged into the chest of Commanders starting offensive tackle Brandon Coleman and drove him into Jayden Daniels' lap. Facing additional pressure from blitzing linebacker Devin White, Daniels was forced to backpedal and throw to his running back's feet to avoid a sack.

Later on second-and-long, Moore lined up over the same tackle before darting inside and blowing the guard off his feet, while nickel Keith Abney occupied Coleman on a blitz. Moore's immediate pressure led to a quick throw to the sideline. On 3rd and 9 on the ensuing snap, Moore worked through the tackle and the guard, while fellow rookie Skyler Gill-Howard did the same on the other end of the line, forcing another short throw shy of the sticks.

"If I had to describe my game," Moore said prior to his preseason debut, "I would say violent, fast, disciplined and high motor. I try to go 100 percent every play and just try to drain whoever’s across from me every play, as best I can, and eventually just break them down and then beat them every play."

Later, reflecting on his debut, Moore said that when his coaches reviewed the film, he hoped they would see all of the aforementioned qualities -- and a guy who "just wants to get after the ball." They surely did.

Moore's highlight in the Lions' preseason victory over the Commanders came late in the first half. On 3rd and 5, he used his speed and length to rip past right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere and chase down quarterback Sam Hartman for a diving strip-sack. Hartman may have been able to escape Moore, who nearly got washed out of the play, if not for pressure up the gut from Gill-Howard and Ahmed Hassanein.

It was the snapshot of a perfectly-executed rush on third down.

"We were literally talking about it before the game, like, it’s a race to the quarterback, and I know how fast Derrick is. And I had to work my motor through two guys — he only got one guy, so it’s kinda easier for him," Gill-Howard said with a laugh. "But no, it was awesome just to see him make that play."

Neither one was perfect, but Gill-Howard and Moore were disruptive throughout the game. They provided real juice in the pass rush, an obvious emphasis this season for Detroit's defense. The Lions compiled 49 sacks last season, fourth most in the NFL, but they ranked toward the bottom of the league in how quickly they got to the quarterback. Most of those sacks were slow burns.

They're intent on changing that in year two under Kelvin Sheppard, with more movement and more quickness up front and, by early appearances, more blitzes from everywhere. The latter should certainly help. The Lions had by far their lowest blitz rate last season (20.8 percent) since Matt Patricia was running the defense. They came in at 22nd in the NFL, down from second the year prior (34.6 percent).

But the biggest boost should be in the personnel. Moore looks like he'll be an asset as a situational pass-rusher from the jump, with the potential to morph into a more complete player as the year goes on. Free agent acquisition D.J. Wonnum has been as advertised in camp, a strong, physical edge-setter who can play opposite Aidan Hutchinson.

Gill-Howard should provide more pass-rushing depth on the interior behind Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams. And if Hassanein's camp is any indication, he's about to make an impact at big end behind Tyler Lacy.

Moore has the highest ceiling of the group, which makes him intriguing as a complement to Hutchinson. For one, Moore should be able to spell Hutchinson now and then as the Lions aim to reduce Hutchinson's workload this year. Mooreover (see what we did there??), he and Hutchinson could evolve into the pass-rushing tandem the Lions have been lacking on defense.

"I feel like we can be a dominant duo," said Moore. "Really, the whole defensive line, I feel like that’s our goal, our plan for this year, is to be the best D-line in the country. I hear all the talks about, ‘How's it going to be with you and Hutch?’ It’s going to be great. But like I said, I want to go out there and play together, all of us as one, not just one person on the line making all the plays or getting all the credit. We’re trying to win together."

Moore, as noted, wasn't flawless against Washington. He was guilty a few times of over-rushing on the edge and running himself out of the play, twice on third down. In both instances, a backup offensive tackle just shoved him past the quarterback, who was able to step up and throw for a first down. That will have to be corrected, especially within Detroit's can-crushing scheme up front. Moore also jumped offside on a third-and-long, before Washington converted on the ensuing snap.

"I made a couple plays and this and that, but I just gotta execute better (to get to) the next level," said Moore. "But I felt like it was a good, decent day for me ... Just gotta get my legs back underneath me and play more disciplined football."

That's a good, honest assessment on the part of the rookie, who returned to practice last week after missing almost two weeks of camp with a groin injury. If he collected any rust during that absence, Moore quickly knocked it off. He was a menace during Detroit's final practice in pads before last week's game, then translated it from Allen Park to Ford Field.

Moore wound up playing 25 total snaps, most of them as a pass-rusher. He did make one strong contribution in the run game early in the second half when he forced back an offensive tackle to help the defense stuff a run. He also dropped into coverage as a standup linebacker on a third down, while the Lions blitzed a corner in his stead. Moore did some of that at Michigan, where he played both on and off the ball.

"I feel like that’s what Coach Shep saw on film and now he wants me to just come out here and do it all in his system as well," he said.

At Michigan, Moore played in a blitz-happy defense under Wink Martindale. He finished just outside the top 10 in the country in sacks (10) last season, despite playing far less frequently than most of his counterparts. Moore played 234 pass-rushing snaps last year. The 10 other defensive ends drafted in the first two rounds averaged about 335.

First-round picks Reuben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor of Miami logged 557 and 445 pass-rushing snaps, respectively -- or about 35 per game for Bain Jr. and 30 per game for Mesidor. Moore averaged 19.5 per game and finished with more sacks than Bain Jr. and a couple fewer than Mesidor.

The Lions traded up to take Moore at No. 44, deliberately jumping Baltimore at No. 45. The belief was that the Ravens were eyeing Moore under new head coach Jesse Minter, Moore's defensive coordinator for his first two seasons at Michigan. The Ravens wound up taking fellow defensive end Zion Young one pick later. Young played almost 100 more pass-rushing snaps than Moore last year and finished with 3.5 fewer sacks.

Among defensive ends drafted in the first two rounds, the closest comparisons for Moore in terms of pass-rushing snaps per game were Malachi Lawrence (23rd overall to Dallas) and R Mason Thomas (40th to Kansas City). Lawrence had seven sacks last season. Thomas had 6.5.

It doesn't make Moore an inherently better player, nor should it tarnish any of the aforementioned picks. Every team values different traits. It does, perhaps, make Moore best suited to do what the Lions so clearly need, which is to get after the quarterback by winning those 1-on-1 matchups across from Hutchinson. This is how, in time, they can form that "dominant duo."

Sheppard's defense should indeed be different this season. In a word, more flexible. In football terms, more nickel, less base, more action and variety in the defensive fronts. From what he's seen so far, Moore says the aggressive nature of Sheppard's defense is "similar to the same defense I’ve been in for the last four years at Michigan."

"He's got a lot of trust in a lot of the guys, and he also lets a lot of guys just run free," said Moore. "He wants to call plays for guys to come free and make plays."

Moore took advantage of most of his opportunities in his debut. He called it a good moment for himself and his family.

"Now it’s over with," he said. "Got another game next week. Just ready to come back and show what more I can do."