Western Michigan offensive stars Kaleb Eleby and Skyy Moore declare for NFL Draft

Western Michigan’s offense will be well represented at the NFL Draft this April.

On Tuesday, Broncos starting quarterback Kaleb Eleby and leading wide receiver Skyy Moore both announced their decisions to enter their names into the 2022 draft. These declarations come eight days after the duo propelled Western Michigan to a 52-24 win over Nevada in the Quick Lane Bowl, the second bowl win in school history.

Eleby declared first at 12:22 p.m. ET through a graphic he posted on his Twitter account.

Less than five hours later, Moore followed suit and announced his decision to pursue his NFL dream.

Eleby served as Western Michigan’s full-time starting quarterback in 2020 and 2021. He received significant playing time earlier than expected after a season-ending injury held his predecessor Jon Wassink out of the last four games of the 2018 season. Eleby started the remainder of the schedule, including the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, before taking a redshirt as Wassink’s backup in 2019.

In a pandemic-shortened 2020, Eleby made his potential as a starting quarterback clear. The Missouri native locked up Third Team All-MAC honors behind an 18-touchdown, 2-interception campaign. He averaged an FBS-best 11.2 yards per attempt, when factoring in all passers with at least 50 passes. Additionally, he ranked third nationally in passer rating, only trailing 2021 first round draft picks Mac Jones and Zach Wilson. In his most iconic game that season, Eleby led Western Michigan on an unlikely comeback against Toledo, accounting for five scores including a fake spike touchdown pass to Jaylen Hall to secure the victory.

Eleby attained Second Team All-MAC honors in 2021 after leading the conference in passing yards and touchdowns. His top two performances of the year were reserved against his strongest competition as he picked apart a pair of conference champions on the road. He accounted for 337 yards and three touchdowns to defeat Pitt and 338 yards and five touchdowns to upend Northern Illinois. Eleby then capped his college career with his first-ever postseason win in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Moore made an instant splash in Kalamazoo as a true freshman in 2019. He became the first true freshman to attain First Team All-MAC honors since Roger Lewis in 2014 after posting a team-high 802 receiving yards. Moore continued to elevate Western Michigan’s passing attack in 2020, operating as the second fiddle behind eventual second round draft pick D’Wayne Eskridge. Moore accounted for 25 receptions and 388 yards in his true sophomore season as a major contributor to the 24th most productive passing offense in the FBS.

His best work, however, was saved for 2021. Moore ranked among the nation’s elite in every major statistical category — checking in at 10th in receptions (94), 15th in yards (1,283), and tied for 21st in touchdowns (10). The Pennsylvania native locked up First Team All-MAC honors for his second time as a Bronco and finished his 30-game tenure as the seventh leading receiver in Western Michigan history.

Moore eclipsed the 120-yard threshold six times in the 2021 season and corralled at least 11 receptions on four occasions. He maxed out with a phenomenal 12-reception, 206-yard, 4-touchdown performance to defeat Northern Illinois in the regular season finale.

After completing their respective college careers together, Eleby and Moore await NFL Draft Combine invites. Eleby aims to become the first Western Michigan quarterback to ever hear his name called at the draft, while Moore looks to join the Broncos’ ever-growing receiver fraternity at the professional level — a group which includes four NFL Draft selections in the last 10 years.