The New York Jets secured Alabama defensive back Malachi Moore with the 130th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
As a fourth-round selection, Moore heads to the pros after five seasons with the Crimson Tide. He spent the last two seasons with Alabama as a team captain and a starter in the secondary.
Moore, a 6-foot, 201-pound defensive back from Trussville, made an impact from the jump. He became the starting nickel defensive back as a true freshman, tallying 11 starts in the 2020 season in which Alabama won the College Football Playoff national championship. Moore sustained an injury that kept him out of the playoff, though. He finished his freshman season with All-SEC freshman team honors and was named a freshman All-America selection by the Football Writers Association of America.
Moore was a contributor for the next two seasons in 2021 and 2022 before he assumed a full-time starting role again in 2023. Moore remained a starter in the secondary through the 2024 season. He played both nickel defensive back and safety for the Crimson Tide.
The 2024 season was Moore’s most productive yet. He finished with 70 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two interceptions and eight pass breakups. The only year Moore had more interceptions was his freshman season of 2020 when he tallied three.
Moore logged a total of 3,121 snaps over his Alabama career, per Pro Football Focus.
“Love that kid to death,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said in December. “He’s got a bright future in everything he does. Poured a lot into this place, a lot of passion, a lot of want-to, lot of desire. A lot of things that I know the rest of the team really took from him and learned along the way.”