Dolphins 4th-Round Pick Trey Moore Could be Formidable Chess Piece for Defense
The Miami Dolphins are a week into practicing with pads in training camp and before you know it, they’ll have a joint practice with the Washington Commanders. While glimpses have been shown of what players can do, specifically those 13 drafted rookies, preseason games will truly test who can be immediate factors for this young team.
A Day 3 pick has been intriguing to track so far in camp and may just have everything coach Jeff Hafley wants in a defensive player. Fourth-round pick Trey Moore, out of Texas, has a valuable combination of smarts and versatility and making his presence felt.
Prior to the pads coming on, Hafley told South Florida Reporters, “Trey is playing linebacker right now, right? Trey had 14 sacks his junior year or two years ago at college. Trey needs to go down and also work with the d-line and get some rush work.”
As Hafley indicated, Moore could play either on the edge as a pass rusher, or off ball as a linebacker. This flexibility is coveted by Hafley. Adding to his potential to be a three down player eventually, Moore has excellent intelligence and was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Award in 2025, also known as the Academic Heisman.
On the field, Moore was solid for the Longhorns in his two years there, yet dominant while at UT-San Antonio. Prior to transferring to Texas and the big time, Moore racked up 22 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss in his 29 games at UTSA. In 2024 and 2025 at Texas, Moore totaled 8.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss in 28 games.
With a draft class that has several names that are expected to pay immediate dividends like the first three selections, offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor, cornerback Chris Johnson, and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, Moore could be a very serviceable and sneaky find for Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Back when Moore was selected in April, Miami assistant general manager Kyle Smith praised him, saying, “There is an instinct to rushing the passer and with him, Trey (Moore) in particular, it’s not just aligned on the edge; it’s aligned in the A-gap B-gap. That’s kind of the vision that some of these players, you can watch the tape, you don’t really need, you always value the coach’s opinion on what they’re going to do with the player, the vision, we call it.”
Smith added, “With Trey, we needed a little bit more, this is where the vision came in from the coaches and (Jeff) Hafley. This is where the vision came in for Trey Moore. How are we going to use these guys? Where are we going to align them? Once you get that vision and that clarity from them, it really paints a picture of, okay, we can pull this here. This is how we’re going to use them. How are we going to get everybody on the field? And how are they going to affect the other side of the ball?”
He is a player to watch over the next few days at practice as well as when Miami mixes it up with the Commanders next week heading into a preseason battle on August 14th.
