One week ago, Oregon Ducks fans were dealt the unfortunate news that superstar quarterback Dante Moore would likely miss the remainder of the 2026-27 season recovering from his concussion. The news was incredibly disappointing for Oregon fans, but you instantly thought of the risk that Dante Moore took, and how sad the outcome of the season was.
Last year, Dante Moore seemed to have a chance to be at worst the 2nd overall pick if he entered the NFL Draft, but he opted to return to Oregon to gain more experience to set himself up for success in the NFL. Given that Moore only finished 3 games with one coming against Portland State, he didn't give evaluators much to look at.
The NFL is entering the back half of the season with Week 8 nearly in the books with the trade deadline on the horizon. As the season starts to wind down, teams are going to have some big decisions to make at the most important position.
Now Dante Moore faces another career defining decision when the college football season comes to an end. Moore can either enter the NFL Draft or return to college football once more to gain the experience he was seeking under the new 5-for-5 eligibility rules.
2027 NFL Mock Drafts showcase the difficult decision for Dante Moore
One of the biggest issues for Dante Moore when it comes to declaring for the NFL Draft may be the fact that there aren't a ton of teams you can circle as QB destinations. The Cardinals need a franchise QB as do the Minnesota Vikings while some other teams are up in the air.
If Deshaun Watson's season goes sideways, the Browns will have a decision to make between drafting a QB or trying one of their other young depth QBs. The New York Jets may end up with 3 Top 10 picks, and could have their pick of the litter. Aaron Rodgers may retire at the end of the season, but Drew Allar and Will Howard have shown promise. The Dolphins just paid Malik Willis, and could opt to fix the rest of the roster first. The Colts should move off Daniel Jones, but traded away their 1st round pick to the Jets last season.
When looking at some of the latest NFL Mock Drafts, Dante Moore's uncertain stock is best showcased as his range seemingly starts outside the Top 10, while most analysts have him ranked behind the likes of Drew Mestemaker, Trinidad Chambliss, and CJ Carr.
Publication | Author | Pick | Team | QB Selected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
CBS Sports | Ryan Wilson | 12th Overall | Arizona Cardinals | 3rd |
Tankathon | N/A | 16th Overall | Cleveland Browns | 4th |
NFL Draft on SI | Justin Melo | N/A | ||
Pro Football Network | Jack Aaron | 32nd Overall | Minnesota Vikings | 4th |
The decision isn't nearly as easy as it would've seemed for Dante Moore as the Ducks star isn't given that safe Top 10 projection. The likes of Drew Mestemaker, Austin Simmons, and Jayden Maiava have all built up their draft stock this season while Moore, Arch Manning, and Julian Sayin may not end up coming off the board as early as it seemed.
Analysts may have a different view than the actual scouts, and at the end of the day they may still feel as if Moore's tape from last season, and what he did this year is safe enough for him to declare. The decision is likely going to come down to the feedback he gets from the NFL, as he'll know if he's a likely 1st round pick.
Down the final stretch, if other quarterbacks continue to march up draft boards, and possibly leap Dante Moore, a return to Oregon may become a possibility. If Moore isn't a guaranteed 1st round pick, it may be more valuable to take another year of NIL money, and try to rebuild the draft stock to cash in with a large NFL rookie contract that comes with being a 1st round pick.
If Dante Moore is going to consider coming back to school, Oregon needs to do a ton to help make that decision more comfortable. The first step is finding an offensive coordinator, whether that's keeping Jay Johnson who's worked with Moore or bringing in an NFL coordinator who can help prepare Moore for the next level. The Ducks will also need to upgrade on the offensive line, and potentially upgrade some of the weapons, depending on who leaves after the season.
This final stretch of the fall is going to be incredibly important for both Dante Moore and Oregon, and as the season winds down, a potential decision could start to make sense.
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