CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When D.J. Moore was selected by the Panthers in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, he looked to the left to share the moment with the woman he’s always turned to.
“It was a special moment,” Cookie Ridley, Moore’s mother recalled. “We were all sitting there and then he got the call.”
For Moore, it was a moment 21 years in the making.
“Just to know that all the hard work paid off, from her and on my end. Just happy,” he explained.
He described his mother as his “backbone,” and for a quiet guy, he’s not afraid to tell you just how much it means to him that they’ve been through everything together.
Moore grew up in Philadelphia. He was the youngest of three kids -- all raised by Ridley.
“Growing up, both my siblings were old enough to live by themselves, so I was like the only child,” Moore said.
When asked if that means he was spoiled, a big smile stretches across his face. Moore was the youngest, so when he was still in a stroller, his mother would take him to watch his sister cheer.
“One day, one of the coaches let him out (of the stroller). And that was it. He’s been running up and down the field since he was like one and a half. And once he was able to play, he put that uniform on and hasn’t stopped,” Ridley said.
But the Panthers first round pick wasn’t always the first chosen. He had a handful of offers coming out of college and eventually landed at Maryland. Moore played three seasons for the Terps before declaring for the draft.
Days after he was drafted by the Panthers, Moore posted a blog on his website. From his eagerness to learn playbook to what that draft night was like, he detailed some of the things he was looking forward to in Carolina, including working with Cam Newton.
“Cam is just a different athlete. He comes ready to work every day. Fun and games, but once you get between the lines he’s ready to go. But meshing with him, because I’m so laid back and he’s so outspoken, is going to be one for the making,” Moore said.
His quiet nature isn’t something you see in a lot of football players. Moore doesn’t want to tell you why he was a first-round pick; he wants to show you.
He said there’s pressure with being a first-round pick, but that you have to learn and grow at your own pace. For Moore, his mild-natured personality helps.
“I stay under the radar. Everyone else I just let them do them. I always listen more than I talk. Just listening taking in everything. Seeing how the lifestyle goes that’s the best thing I can do right now,” he said.
For him, it’s not about living the NFL lifestyle, but being in the league has its perks. Shortly after he signed his rookie contract, Moore bought himself a new Mercedes Benz then surprised his mom with one.
“It was just special, to know I could give back after she’s done so much for me,” he said.
For him, playing for the Panthers is about more than just living out his football dream. It’s about showing his biggest supporter -- there’s still more to come.
“It’s just fun. Because they know I love the game. But I also look at it as, I was playing in little league, and it was just fun. So football, always going to be football, always going to be fun,” Moore said.