To make it in the modern-day offense of the NFL, a receiver needs a perfect score on a multiple-choice exam. Smarts? A must. Link it with the speed to get open deep, the discipline to run crisp routes, the blocking to spring the ground game and the strength to break tackles. Top it off with the explosion to go all the way after the catch. There's one guy with a check in every box: Eric Moulds.

No one else in the NFL can do it all like Moulds. Terrell Owens can catch with Moulds but blocks once a month. Rod Smith brings it in his blocks but isn't as fast. Randy Moss is faster than Moulds, but he's, well, Randy Moss. "Eric's big, physical and fast," says Miami corner Sam Madison. "Every time I see Buffalo on the schedule, I know I'm going to have to bring my A-game, because Eric brings his."

	Get out of Moulds way, if you know what's good for you.

How does Moulds make himself the ultimate go-to guy in today's vertical-attack offense? Check him out in the Bills' standard set. He goes in motion, reads the coverage and, à la Shaq, senses where the double-team is lurking. It sounds crazy, but this is the first time in Moulds' career he's been sent in motion. Give the 6'2'', 204-pound receiver a running start, and defensive backs immediately retreat and get on their heels. Then, at seven yards, Moulds sizes them up and decides on a choice of three routes:

Option 1 Break inside at 90° and face the neckless monsters there? No problem. Against the Lions in Week 8, Buffalo was ahead 24-17 and trying to run out the clock. Facing third-and-seven with 1:40 left in the game, Drew Bledsoe zipped a 12-yard catch-and-run to Moulds, who caught the ball with corner Todd Lyght on his back and safety Bracey Walker on his chest. First down. Game over. "With any other receiver we wouldn't throw into tight coverage over the middle," Bledsoe says. "With Eric, you go for it."

Option 2 Cut it off early; catch, turn to face the defense, make a play. Wondering why Bills coach Gregg Williams wants Moulds in motion before the snap? Rewind to 2000: In the fourth quarter of a game against Buffalo, Williams, then the Titans' D-coordinator, told his defense to give Moulds a three-yard catch, figuring his guys would make the tackle. No chance: Moulds broke four -- yes, four -- tackles on his way to a 36-yard gain that set up a game-winning field goal. Call it explosion, call it yards after the catch (yac): Moulds has it. His three TDs from outside the red zone this season average 40.7 yards.

Option 3 Burn 'em deep. Lined up against Madison in Week 7, Moulds gave a little stop-fake. Madison bought it like it was sold at a 99-cent store, and Moulds flew by him. Seventy yards later, the Bills had a 10-7 lead and the ammo for a 23-10 win.

With Bledsoe winging it, Moulds is on pace for 106 catches and 1,422 yards. But it didn't take Bledsoe to prove Moulds is great; he merely brought the spotlight. The Bills went 3-13 last year, and Moulds had a shoulder injury that left him barely able to lift his left arm. Yet he still couldn't be stopped: He tore apart Madison for 196 yards in a Week 11 game against Miami and extended his club-record receiving streak to 78 games (it's now at 94). Says Williams, "He's as physical as I've ever seen. His leaping ability makes him a threat at the goal line, and if he gets a step on you he's not going to be caught. I don't know what else I'd want."

In other words, Moulds checks 'em all.

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This article appears in the December 9 issue of ESPN The Magazine.