About a month ago, NFL draft expert Todd McShay felt Dante Moore should hold off on the 2026 NFL Draft. However, after Moore’s standout performance in the Orange Bowl win over Texas, his draft stock surged. And now ESPN’s Matt Miller believes he should seriously consider making the jump.

With his decision still up in the air, Moore could opt to return to college for another year to keep developing. But even with just 19 career starts, NFL scouts already see him as a potential top-five pick if he decides to make the jump to the pros.

That was always the biggest concern for Dante Moore. However, he has already made major progress since leaving UCLA and spending a year learning behind Dillon Gabriel. Now he’s playing with real confidence and showing he belongs on the big stage. If Oregon doesn’t end up lifting the trophy this year, Moore sees value in coming back, tightening up his game, and trying to go out as a champion. But at the same time, NFL teams are clearly starting to believe in him.

Scouts describe Moore as “unflappable” and “uncoachably calm under pressure,” and his low sack rate backs that up. At this point, he looks mentally built for the NFL game. This season alone, he aced multiple 50-plus-yard throws across four different games. He can change arm angles on the fly and stays accurate while rolling out of the pocket. The growth shows up in the numbers, too. His PFF grade jumped from 57.7 in 2023 all the way to 91.4 in 2025.

He’s also delivered when the lights are brightest. Moore’s signature win came against Penn State, where he never looked rattled despite the hostile environment. Even in the Texas Tech game, where the box score was quieter (234 yards, no touchdowns, one interception), he showed complete command of the offense. Against the Red Raiders, he completed 79 percent of his passes against a strong defense.

His only loss of the season came against powerhouse Indiana, where he struggled with two picks and a lower passer rating. But all of this comes at the perfect time. The 2026 NFL Draft is widely viewed as a thin quarterback class. Several teams are desperate for a franchise QB at this point. Right now, Moore and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza sit at the top of that list, and the league’s demand could keep pushing Moore’s draft stock even higher.

The quarterback’s dilemma

Dante Moore still hasn’t made a final call on his future, but he continues to leave no stone unturned when it comes to teasing what might come next. The sophomore ended his highlight montage from the Ducks’ CFP first-round win over James Madison at Autzen Stadium with the message, “Come on 5, To Be Continued.” Posted December 24, 2025, the reel recapped Moore’s standout plays in Oregon’s historic first CFP home game.

Ahead of the matchup, Moore brushed off NFL questions, saying, “Everybody keeps asking me questions, but there is no decision made yet,” and the video’s tagline effectively quieted months of draft buzz. Moore’s hype traces back to his 2023 UCLA starts but exploded in 2025. He boasts the FBS’s third-best completion rate at 72.4%, seventh-most passing TDs (28), and 11th-ranked QBR (80.3). He amassed 3,046 yards, 38 total TDs (eight picks), plus 118 rushing yards and two scores on 104 carries.

Draft Network pegs Moore as a Round 3 Day 1 starter. ESPN’s Field Yates mocks him to the Las Vegas Raiders as a Geno Smith replacement. Jordan Reid projects him to the New York Jets, leveraging their draft capital post the Justin Fields flop. He is just ideal for OC Tanner Engstrand’s distributor scheme. A first-round exit now could earn him millions in NIL money elsewhere.

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