A Look at the Ducks' NFL Draft Stock before the Orange Bowl

The Oregon Ducks began their College Football Playoff journey last weekend against JMU, 51-34. The Orange Bowl against Texas Tech will be an important opportunity not only for the Ducks but also for those who have potential NFL careers ahead of them. Obviously, those players have one goal right now. They want to play their best and hopefully win a national title. However, performing well in the playoffs tends to boost players' draft stock heavily. So, before the Ducks play Texas Tech, let's take a look at the draft stock of a few of our Ducks.

Dante Moore is Rising

Dante Moore is all the rage in the college football and NFL draft spaces. As each day passes, the hype around the Ducks' quarterback grows exponentially. As a consequence, it gets increasingly difficult to feel confident that he will stay at Oregon beyond this season.

Right now, ESPN's Mel Kiper has Moore as not only QB1 in this draft, but the No. 1 overall prospect. Tankathon currently has Moore as QB2 behind Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, and No. 7 on the big board. The majority of mock drafts have him as a top-5 pick, drafted most commonly to the Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Jets. If he really does have a top-5 pick grade, Oregon is going to have to put together an undeniable pitch to bring him back.

Kenyon Sadiq Could be TE1

Kenyon Sadiq is an absolute freak. Outlets such as NFLDraftBuzz has him as the No. 1 tight end in the draft. Sadiq, without a doubt, will be a first-round pick in 2026. Tankathon and USA Today has him being drafted No. 19 overall by the Carolina Panthers.

Sadiq's 8 touchdowns and 509 yards of receiving will be hard to replace when he inevitably declares. However, the Ducks are in good hands with the TE2 Jamari Johnson. While he is not the same force as Sadiq, his production has shown that he has immense potential.

Ducks Offensive Linemen Look Good

Emmanuel Pregnon, Isaiah World, and Lapani Laloulu are names that are likely to be called if they all declare. It is also possible that Alex Harkey could be drafted as well. On Tankathon, Pregnon is listed as the No. 2 interior offensive lineman, earning him a spot in their mock draft at Round 2, Pick 16 to the Baltimore Ravens.

Isaiah World is graded as a second-round pick as well in many places, mocked in the same mock draft to be selected by the Cleveland Browns. Laloulu still could return, but if he declares for the draft, he has about a fourth-round grade, mocked to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Ducks' Defensive Studs go Pro

Matayo Uiagalelei has a late first, early second-round grade on him right now. According to the NFL Mock Draft Database, Uiagalelei is most commonly mocked to be drafted in the second round by the New England Patriots. If he has a strong playoff showing, he could creep more into the late first-round window.

A'Mauri Washington's draft stock has soared in his Junior year. If he chooses to go to the NFL, he has been given a similar grade to Uiagalelei. However, he has been commonly connected to the Los Angeles Chargers in the late first round.

Dillon Thieneman is projected to go in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The star safety has been an important contributor to the Ducks. He could return to Oregon and try to up his stock in 2026, but if he decides to go pro, he could potentially be drafted by the Buffalo Bills or Dallas Cowboys. There are other Ducks, such as Bryce Boettcher, Noah Whittington, and Malik Benson, who could get shots as undrafted free agents, but currently don't have high draft stock.