By: Matt Callaway, Texas A&M Athletics Communications
The designated blindside protector of the Maroon Goons, Texas A&M senior Dan Moore Jr. was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 23rd pick in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft on Saturday.
“Dan is an athletic offensive lineman,” Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “Much like many of our offensive linemen he can play anywhere along the front. He is a very smart football player. He didn’t say much, but when he did talk, all of the guys would listen. He started many games at left tackle and was a big reason why we were so good along the offensive line the last couple of years.”
Moore, from Beaumont, Texas, was an All-SEC Second Team honoree, a Campbell Trophy semifinalist and anchored the unit that was named a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the nation’s best offensive line. Over his four seasons, he compiled 37 starts in the Maroon & White including the final 36 games of this career.
Moore was an anchor on A&M’s offensive line allowed that only 7.0 quarterback sacks over 10 games last season, the fifth-best per game average in the NCAA and best in the SEC. A&M’s 0.7 sacks allowed per game average is the lowest season average by any Power 5 team since Minnesota allowed 0.25 per game in 2005.
The Goons went 24 quarters and 201 pass attempts without letting its opponent get to the quarterback. The streak spanned from the second quarter of the season opener against Vanderbilt until the third quarter of the LSU game.
A&M allowed just 3.8 tackles for loss per game, which ranked sixth nationally and led the SEC. The O-line allowed just 1.0 tackle for loss at Mississippi State, the program’s fewest since not allowing a tackle behind the line of scrimmage in the 16-10 road win over Colorado midway through the 1997 season.