Midco Sports Magazine: Dale-y Double | Dale Moss

Oh, to be this kind of athlete...the kind that can make any sport look like he was born to play it. The kind with the ability to throw down a nasty follow-up jam...and make that look as easy as an over the middle catch and a sprint to the endzone.

This kind of athlete is Dale Moss. 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds of human physical performance.

Moss was a great high school football player...45 catches and 10 touchdowns as Brandon Valley made the state semi-finals in his senior season in 2006.

But he was just as good in basketball...and when it came time to decide which sport to play in college, his heart said hoops.

"Basketball was always my first love and Coach Nagy and the staff did a great job during the recruiting process and I love football, too, but it goes back to basketball is what I felt comfortable with," Moss said.

And he was good...played all four years...started as a Senior...eight points, five rebounds per game.

And when it was over, he was done..... with basketball. But NCAA rules give you five years to compete, which meant Moss could put away the sneakers and put on the helmet and pads if he wanted to...and he wanted to.

He had stayed in touch with the football coaches who recruited him and in the spring of last year he decided to give it a shot. You know, just in case he was still pretty good at it... which he was.

"After the first few days I knew I could make plays on the ball," Moss said. "Learning the plays and the footwork and everything was a grind, but I had the whole summer to prepare for the fall camp and this season."

After easing his way into the starting lineup in the third game of the year, Moss took off. He tied for the team lead with 61 catches, and showed off that incredible athletic ability.

"Once things started going and I started having some success during the season I felt like maybe this is a possibility. I'm doing the right thing, and I might have a shot to play after this year," Moss said.

When the season ended, Moss hired an agent, stayed in shape and set out to prove that even with his limited college experience he could play wide receiver in the NFL.

He was not invited to the NFL Combine in February, which in hindsight, was a big oversight.

In March, Moss worked out for pro scouts at the DakotaDome. He ran the 40 in 4.48 seconds. His vertical leap was 41.5 inches. His three-cone drill was off the charts. In fact, his times and marks would have been some of the best and in some cases the best of all the guys who did go to the combine.

Moss continues to work as hard as he can, fighting off an illness on this bright April day to sharpen his step and refine his routes. All the while keeping in mind how far he has come and how far he has to go.

"A lot of people are thinking this is a developmental guy which, yeah, I still have things to learn, but I want to surprise people... I feel like ive done it every step of the way and I want to keep doing it," Moss said.

"I want to contribute to a team and not just make a roster so every time I step on the field, whether it's a workout or whatever I'm trying to get perfect reps and work hard and leave it all out there."