Zach Moore (born September 5, 1990) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

in the sixth round, 198th overall, of the 2014 NFL draft. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Concordia Golden Bears in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

, where he led the defense with 14 sacks in 2012.

Early life

A native of

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Moore attended

Simeon Career Academy Neal F. Simeon Career Academy (formerly known as Westcott Vocational High School, Neal F. Simeon Vocational High School, Neal F. Simeon Career Technical Academy), locally known simply as Simeon, is a public four-year vocational school, vocational ...

in Chatham, where he played primarily

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

as an underclassman due to his 6'6" frame. He was selected to Illinois Top 100 Players, was a Chicago 5-star recruit and was ranked in the Illinois Prairie State Top Five. He was named All-City First-team and All-State. He also competed in

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

for the Wolverines. He moved on to Division II

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

, where he focused on playing

. He became a starter as a sophomore, registering 42 tackles (11.5 for loss) and 10 sacks. The next year, he was redshirted and did not play. In 2012, he tallied 14 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. As a senior, he posted 33 tackles (9.5 for loss), 7 sacks, 12 quarterback hurries, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 passes defensed, and one blocked kick. He set the school record in career sacks (33) and finished third all-time in tackles for loss (45).

Professional career

New England Patriots

Moore was selected in the sixth round (198th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft by the

, becoming Concordia-St. Paul's first player to be selected in the

NFL draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

. During the 2014 season, Moore was active for eight regular season games, and did not play in any of the team's postseason contests, including their

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victory over the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

, becoming Concordia-St.Paul's first Super Bowl champion. In his limited snaps, Moore recorded only three tackles, but did record a half-sack (along with Dont'a Hightower) and forced fumble of

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

quarterback

Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A member of the Chicago Bears for most of his career, he is ...

, which was returned for a touchdown by Rob Ninkovich. Moore also recovered a C. J. Spiller fumble against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. Moore was released by the Patriots on September 5, 2015.

Minnesota Vikings

On September 5, 2015, Moore was signed by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

, moving back to the state where his college career took place. On December 19, Moore was promoted to the 53-man roster. On September 3, 2016, he was released as part of the team's final roster cuts.

Dallas Cowboys

On September 6,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, Moore was signed to the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 16, when the team was forced to play him against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, because of injuries to

DeMarcus Lawrence DeMarcus Lawrence (born April 28, 1992) is an American professional football defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. He playe ...

and Cedric Thornton. He was released on December 26, to make room for

Randy Gregory, who was coming off a suspension.

San Francisco 49ers

On December 27,

, Moore was claimed off waivers by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, in order to secure his rights for the 2017 season. He was declared inactive for the last game of the regular season. On May 2, 2017, Moore was waived by the 49ers.

Carolina Panthers

On May 3, 2017, Moore was claimed off waivers by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

. He was waived on September 2, 2017, and was signed to the Panthers' practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on December 2, 2017. On September 1, 2018, Moore was released by the Panthers.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 2, 2018, the Cardinals claimed Moore off of waivers. He played in all 16 games recording 14 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

References

External links

Concordia Golden Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Zach Living people 1990 births American football defensive ends Players of American football from Chicago Concordia Golden Bears football players New England Patriots players Minnesota Vikings players Dallas Cowboys players San Francisco 49ers players Carolina Panthers players Arizona Cardinals players