What ESPN experts are saying about Dante Moore and the Big Ten's best quarterbacks

ESPN ranked the top quarterbacks in each conference ahead of Saturday's Week One slate of games, and Oregon's Dante Moore gets a tepid evaluation.

An anonymous Big Ten coach told the website, "Dante is pro-style. If Dante ran a 40, he'd run a 4.9."

Cam Ward, the first quarterback taken in the NFL draft, ran a 4.87. Jaxson Dart didn't run one at all.

Besides that, Moore worked on his speed over the offseason. He reached 21.5 miles per hour on the GPS in summer testing.

ESPN ranks Drew Allar and Luke Altmyer as the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten, and they certainly are the most experienced. Fernando Mendoza and Demond Williams come next. The Huskies like Williams' escapability and decision-making and see it as a tremendous advantage that he started two games last year.

Asked about Moore, Dan Lanning told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, "I see the arm talent, the ability to operate, very similar to what Bo [Nix] and Dillon had. He can check plays. He's probably more similar to Dillon from a pocket presence standpoint, but more similar to Bo in the ability to really put us in really advantageous plays."

Opposing coaches don't think Moore has the mobility that made Gabriel and Nix so dangerous, but that discounts the facts that 1) he's operating behind a veteran offensive line that surrenders few sacks 2) the Duck offense incorporates outlet routes and quick checks, and Makhi Hughes and Noah Whittington are both excellent receivers and 3) Moore is much more athletic than opponents realize.

The 6-3, 206 five-star from Detroit can extend plays with his legs and he has a quick release, able to deliver the ball with a flick of his wrist as well as load up when the pocket is clean. Protection won't be a problem. Emmanuel Pregnon and Iapani Laloulu didn't give up a sack last season, and Hughes excels at stepping up and sticking his head in there on blitz pickup at 5-11, 210.

The Ducks employ the quick game effectively, have punch in the running game to set up good situations. Moore's biggest asset is the talent around him, and Will Stein does a great job of keeping things simple for the quarterback, finding the easy yards.

Opponents are expecting a big drop-off they can exploit and a vulnerability at QB. They forget that Moore has had a year to prepare for this. What teams see in 2025 will far exceed his true freshman season at UCLA.

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