Oakland Raiders: Denarius Moore Is Putting the NFL on Notice

Every year the story goes as followed...

The NFL Draft has players come out in the early rounds that are supposed to amount to absolute greatness. They have the hype, they have the talent but when game time comes they do not produce the way they were thought to do.

Entering the 2011 NFL Draft AJ Green and Julio Jones were the top prospects at the receiver position. Scouts had a field day with Green and Jones, claiming them to be "NFL Ready" and "sure fits" in any system they might find themselves in.

Great.

AJ Green has done a pretty good job thus far working with a rookie quarterback as he takes over the job Chad Ochocino left behind this offseason. Pulling in 19 receptions for 312 yards and two touchdowns, on paper this looks awesome for a rookie, right?

Of course it does, but then Julio Jones is added to the equation.

The man that Atlanta literally went tooth and nail for in the draft thinking that he would be the missing piece to Matt Ryan's passing attack aside of Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. Julio has not disappointed.

As it stands, Julio Jones has 24 receptions for 342 yards but zero touchdowns on the year.

Those are great stats for both AJ Green and Julio Jones, so great that no other rookie receiver can keep up, or so it was thought.

Enter Denarius Moore.

The Oakland Raiders drafted Moore in the fifth round due to "off the field issues" that scared many teams away. As usual, Al Davis pulled the trigger on the pick and thus far has shown that Al still "has it" as he drafts productive talent in the later rounds.

As of the Week 4 game against the New England Patriots, Denarius Moore has 12 catches for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

Oh, and a rushing touchdown that sealed the NY Jets fate in Oakland on a double reverse.

AJ Green and Julio Jones may get the spotlight over Denarius Moore and Baltimore Ravens' rookie Torrey Smith but one can not deny talent.

Denarius Moore, especially, has shown flashes of top playmaking ability. His receptions are not cookie-cutter simple neither. Against the Buffalo Bills; Denarius Moore caught a long ball over two Buffalo defenders and STILL scored a touchdown!

In the controversial Hail Mary that Jason Campbell chucked up at the end of the Buffalo game, Denarius also had a hand on the ball and had he came out with the ball, Oakland would have won, scratching Denarius' touchdown total to three on the year as far as receiving goes.

Moore's catches are amazing, but what stands out the most is that for a rookie playing on a run first team, Moore still stands out as a top star. He will never get the hype and looks that Julio Jones and AJ Green get due to how late he was drafted and because he is an Oakland Raider.

Everyone knows that.

Denarius can be denied the spotlight, but he will not be denied on the playing field. Line Moore up on any cornerback in the NFL left on Oakland's schedule and play one on one coverage, he will burn you.

In years to come, the top receivers taken in the 2011 NFL Draft will probably have great careers, as they should due to their expectations, but Denarius Moore will be a staple in the Oakland Raiders' aggressive offense, another weapon of mass destruction for coach Hue Jackson to use.

Denarius Moore will not win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but by the end of the year he will be seen for the true star he is, but not an "NFL Superstar."

Instead, a Silver and Black star—the type of star that the NFL fears because there is NO stopping a Raider.