Elijah Moore is a compulsive note taker.
He takes notes as reminders. He takes them for motivation. For inspiration. He takes them to reinforce his learning process, a process that has no end in sight.
To find a 21-year-old fresh out of college who takes copious notes is as rare as Bill Belichick revealing his weekly game plans on Twitter.
Moore, a rookie receiver out of Ole Miss, still has the names of the five receivers, those drafted before the Jets selected him 34th overall in the second round in April, scribbled on a mirror in the bathroom at the place where he’s staying.
The names Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals), Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins), DeVonta Smith (Eagles), Kadarius Toney (Giants) and Rashod Bateman (Ravens) stare back at Moore when he brushes his teeth and washes his face in the morning.
“I came here with the mentality of wanting to be the best,’’ Moore told The Post this week as he prepares for his first NFL game, Sunday at Carolina.
Through his first offseason as a pro — spanning OTAs, minicamp and training camp — Moore not only has looked like the best rookie on the field for the Jets, he’s looked like the best player on the field.
Could it be possible that the Jets finally have hit on a receiver out of the draft?
Other than the selection of Keyshawn Johnson in 1996 (25 years ago for those of you scoring at home), the position has been a draft-day black hole for the Jets. They’ve swung and missed on the likes of Reggie Rembert, Ryan Yarborough, Alex Van Dyke, Stephen Hill and Devin Smith — all of whom were picked in the second round, just like Moore.
Though it’s too early to deliver a definitive and fair analysis on Denzel Mims, the Jets’ second-round pick in 2020, Mims hasn’t gotten off to a very good start with a forgettable rookie season and a tumble down the depth chart this summer.
There are a lot of reasons to be excited about Moore, who caught a school-record 86 passes for 1,193 yards and eight TDs and dropped just two passes at Ole Miss. Perhaps more important than his physical gifts, though, is Moore’s mental makeup.
“He’s kind of like an old soul, [like] he’s been here for five or six years already,’’ coach Robert Saleh said Monday.
“He’s so comfortable out there, like he’s been here before,’’ veteran receiver Corey Davis said earlier in camp.
“He wants to be great,’’ said rookie quarterback Zach Wilson, who called Moore on draft night shortly after he was picked.
Jets fans, allow yourselves to daydream about the kind of dynamic combination Wilson-to-Moore can be for the next decade.
“We want to show everybody what greatness is,’’ Moore said. “Zach is an elite player.’’
So, too, may Moore be.
Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur called him “ultra-prepared,’’ adding, “He knows what he’s doing. He’s extremely detailed. He rarely makes the same mistake … if ever.’’
That element to Moore’s game has caught Saleh’s eye.
“We went through practice on Wednesday and Thursday and introduced some schemes, and he made some mistakes on Wednesday, and boom, they were gone on Thursday,’’ Saleh said. “He doesn’t make the same mistake twice. He’s a quick learner, he’s always trying to find an edge.’’
Part of Moore’s edge comes from his size — 5-foot-9 ¹/₂, 180 pounds — which aren’t the prototypical numbers the scouts are seeking at the NFL combine.
“People are always going to put limits on you … as long as you don’t put limits on yourself,’’ Moore said. “I’ve been told since I was a kid that I’ve always got to do a little more.’’
Moore has been shaped by his mother Elisa, a nurse; his father, Sean, who’s in real estate and works in a bank; and by his grandparents.
“All my life, I’ve been around older people and they’ve shown me the way,’’ Moore said. “I was always one of those kids who applied what I was taught. I feel like I’ve worked for everything I have. I feel like I met God halfway.’’
Now, about those names written on his mirror.
“I’m very driven,’’ Moore said. “I didn’t write those things down to be like, ‘These dudes motivate me.’ It’s not like that. We’re all competitors. We don’t hate each other, at least in my eyes. I actually learned from those dudes, too. I don’t want that to be misinterpreted. I’ve got a lot of stuff written down. Whatever brings me up. Whatever gets me in the mood.’’
Asked if he still has the names of those five receivers drafted before him scrawled on his mirror, Moore laughed over the phone, leaving no doubt: “C’mon now.’’
Note taken.
