Feb 25, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A

Fair or unfair what a player does in his shorts can affect how much he earns by putting pads on. Such is the nature of the NFL’s scouting combine. Every year there’s a combine freak that shoots up draft boards as front office personnel fall in love with a workout while ignoring the game tape.

By the same token there is always some poor soul that loses millions because he doesn’t hit some magic number on the stopwatch or fails to put up 225 an acceptable amount of times.

Which brings me to Texas A&M defensive end Damontre Moore who did himself no favors with a poor combine showing. As recently as last week many had Moore penciled in as the ideal pick for the Oakland Raiders at #3 in April’s draft. Then a 40 time slower than some offensive linemen combined with a performance on bench press only a cornerback would envy has left many wondering if Moore is even worth a first round pick let alone a top 10 selection.

Before we bury Moore let’s not forget that there have been plenty of guys that have wowed at the combine and wrecked in the NFL.

However there was already some doubt as to whether or not his stock was legit or simply media hype even prior to the poor showing in Indianapolis.

As we know the Silver and Black sure could use a pass rusher and in a draft filled with talent on the D-line it looks nearly impossible to miss. But this is the NFL draft where busts happen more often than a marathon of Cops. Nothing is guaranteed except the fact that one way or another someone will miss the boat on Moore. Either he’s overhyped and will sucker some team into taking him way too high or he was overlooked and will make 31 other franchises pay for passing on his talent.

Sep 29, 2012; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A

As the NFL season reaches its conclusion the offseason is grinding towards its peak. With the third overall pick in the 2013 Draft the Raiders will have plenty of options to help improve a dismal defense.

Each week our draft experts here at FanSided are cranking out a new mock and this week they’ve got Oakland selecting All-American defensive end Damontre Moore from Texas A&M.

Moore is a versatile lineman capable of lining up with one hand in the dirt or standing depending on the scheme. He led A&M in tackles a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by an Aggie lineman in two decades.

With the Raiders needing serious help generating a pass rush and defending the run Moore could be the ideal fit even though previous mocks singled out Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei as the third overall selection. However if Dennis Allen is looking to shift towards mixed defensive fronts including a possible conversion to the 3-4 then Moore provides more possibilities as he’s capable of lining up all over the field. Of course Lotulelei could be an ideal nose tackle in the 3-4 as well.

Let’s not forget the Denver Broncos found one of the game’s best pass rushers down in College Station as Von Miller has become an absolute force in the NFL. Could Moore be in the same mold? That’s a risk someone is likely to take in the top 10 of the 2013 draft whether it’s the Raiders or not.

As the evaluation process shifts into high gear in the coming weeks we’ll keep you posted will all the draft knowledge you can handle.