Josh Moten CB Southern Miss |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #1 ROLE: Outside Zone CB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/22/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.71 seconds (1%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #1 | |
| ROLE: Outside Zone CB | |
| Last Updated: 03/22/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.71 seconds (1%*) | |
| Overall Rating: | 78.6 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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69% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 67.9 | |
| Tackling: |
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79% |
| Run Defense: |
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76% |
| Coverage: |
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82% |
| Zone: |
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80% |
| Man/Press: |
|
79% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
UDFA
Overall Rank:
#277
Position rank:
#52 (DB)
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| College Games: 40 College Snaps: 2107 | ||
ESPN RATING: 80/100
College Combine Results
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247 RATING: 88/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.8 (95%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mario Goodrich - Clemson |
|
96% |
| Marcellas Dial - South Carolina |
|
90% |
| Deantre Prince - Ole Miss |
|
89% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Josh Moten came out of National Christian Academy in Waldorf, Maryland as a four-star recruit with offers from Michigan, Oregon, Oklahoma, and Penn State, among others. He signed with Texas A&M in the Class of 2020 but saw only 15 defensive snaps across three seasons before entering the transfer portal after the 2022 campaign.At Marshall, Moten started all 13 games as a sophomore in 2023, recording 30 tackles, a pick-six against NC State, and six pass breakups. His junior year was a clear step forward. He logged five interceptions across 12 starts, tying for third nationally, and made a diving pick in Marshall's Sun Belt Championship win over Louisiana. He also posted five tackles and an interception against eventual national champion Ohio State and All-American receiver Jeremiah Smith. That season earned him HERO G5 All-American and All-SBC honorable mention recognition.
Moten followed head coach Charles Huff to Southern Miss for his senior year in 2025, where he again produced five interceptions across 13 games, including a three-pick performance against Arkansas State that earned him Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week. He also returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown. Moten was named to the Bednarik Award watch list and led a Southern Miss defense that finished first nationally in interceptions with 23. The Golden Eagles went 7-6, falling to Western Kentucky in the New Orleans Bowl. Moten was not among the prospects invited to the NFL Combine.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Eyes stay glued to the quarterback in zone, reading windows and jumping routes before the ball arrives.
- Tracks the ball over his shoulder naturally on deep throws without drifting or losing stride.
- Fluid hips let him mirror receivers through breaks without false stepping or opening up early.
- Showed he belongs against top talent, matching up with Jeremiah Smith and coming away with a pick.
- Reliable tackler who wraps up in space; the whiff issues from 2023 are mostly cleaned up on recent film.
- Plays both sides of the field and can handle slot reps, giving coordinators flexibility in alignment.
- Good foot speed to carry vertical stems and close on underneath stuff when he reads it.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Thin frame gets moved around in run support; struggles to stack and shed when blockers find him.
- Bigger receivers bully him at the catch point on contested throws, especially on back-shoulder fades.
- Gets grabby when he feels a receiver gaining separation, and it showed in the penalty numbers in 2025.
- Can get caught peeking into the backfield on play-action and lose his man on crossers behind him.
- Gave up more completions in 2025, including a rough outing against Louisiana-Monroe where he looked off.
- Sun Belt tape only tells you so much; the Ohio State game was encouraging, but it was one game.
Scouting Report: Summary
Moten's path to an NFL roster runs through one thing: can he find the football at the next level the way he did in the Sun Belt? The coverage instincts are real. You can see it on the Arkansas State film where he picked off three passes, two of them on routes he had diagnosed before the quarterback released the ball. In zone, his eyes go straight to the passer and he breaks on throws with conviction. That is a genuine skill, and back-to-back five-interception seasons against any level of competition is hard to dismiss. The 99-yard pick-six showed some run-after-catch juice, too.But this is a late-round or priority free agent projection for a reason. The body is not ready for NFL football right now. He gets pushed around at the point of attack, he cannot hold up against the run in any meaningful way, and bigger receivers will win contested catches against him until he adds significant weight. The grabbiness that showed up in 2025 is going to be a weekly problem against NFL route runners who are quicker and stronger than anything he saw in conference play. And the competition question hangs over everything. One good game against Ohio State does not answer what three years of Sun Belt tape leaves open.
He was not a combine invite, and the pre-draft process is not doing him any favors. A zone-heavy team could take a late-round flier on him as a developmental corner who earns his keep on special teams while learning the scheme. If he can add weight without losing his fluidity, there is a role for him. If the body does not come along, he is a camp invite with good ball skills. That is the honest range. The ceiling is a depth corner who creates turnovers in sub packages. The floor is a practice squad player whose college production did not survive the jump in competition.
Josh Moten percentiles vs other Cornerbacks (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Josh Moten (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
278.5
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
66.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.