Dontay Moch looks every bit as athletic on the football field as his fast 40 yard dash times would indicate. He frequently overwhelmed offensive linemen with his speed. It is one thing to do that in the WAC against also rans. When he had to step up in competition, opponents also had problems blocking him. He lived in opposing backfields against Boston College, Missouri, and Boise State during his career. Boise State in particular was impressive. Just like Moch, the Broncos offensive line had dominated the soft WAC, only allowing 6 sacks entering its late season game against Nevada. That unit had no answer for Moch.
The Wolfpack moved him all over the place. He lined up at both end positions during the course of games and stood up at linebacker at times. A lot of the time, he did not rush the edge while blitzing as a stand up linebacker. The defensive scheme moved him to the middle, where he could use his speed to beat slower interior linemen. Moch did show a good ability, however, to get to the edge while playing end.
The Wolfpack liked to find space for him to operate. I talked above about how he would stand up and play linebacker. His defensive coordinator also used a lot of stunts and twists when he played on the line so that he could find holes and beat interior linemen to spots. His game as a pass rusher was mostly about beating his opponents to the spot, which could make a transition to 3-4 outside linebacker make sense.
I also saw other aspects of his game as a pass rusher develop well near the end of his senior season. I thought he used his hands to fight off blocks better than his critics give him credit for doing. He also had a spin move. Moch used that sparingly mainly because he was so good at beating men to the spot. He is a bit undersized, but he held his own at the point of attack when matched up against first round prospect Anthony Castanzo of BC in his bowl game.
I think Moch has a very good motor. He tries to fight through blocks and does not give up on plays. He has excellent closing speed, particularly helping on back side runs. He also contains well.
The Wolfpack dropped him into coverage, and I thought he looked comfortable doing that. He was a bit raw tracking the ball, but he stayed with men and found the right assignment. Not many defensive ends can make plays in the pass game 20 yards down the field, but Moch didd at times.
Moch is an interesting prospect who has experience playing with his hand on the ground, standing up, and dropping into coverage.