Dan Lanning made a gamble in 2024 by acquiring Dante Moore from Eugene and having him sit on the bench for an entire year. But it’s paid off massively for the duo—Lanning has yet another success story at QB, and Moore is one of the best there is in the country. His first full season as a starter has left fans anxious about what the future holds for Moore. But the QB, as of now, already has a lot on his plate.

Moore has been controversially snubbed from Heisman contention. But there is no doubt about the sheer talent the QB brings to the table. He’s led the Ducks to the playoffs in his debut year as QB1 and pitched in at the most testing moments. Not so surprisingly, Moore is Lanning’s 3 straight QB1 to be heralded as a top draft prospect. However, the QB isn’t overly concerned with the NFL at this point.

“Of course, everybody keeps asking me questions, but there’s no decision yet,” Moore told the press of the draft buzz at a December 15 presser. “I don’t know. I’m just glad to be here and play JMU this upcoming week.

It’s been interesting. I mean, so many thoughts and so many things going on through my head, and [probably] just having Coach Lanning and having a support team that tells me get to my everyday life and making sure that I stay focused on the main thing. And of course, my main thing right now is to be on my feet, being here with my teammates.”

Oregon fans know that this is the perfect time for Moore to declare for the draft. 2,733 yards, 24 TDs, and a 72.5% completion rate are impressive numbers that will hold anybody’s attention. He has the numbers and film that make him a top candidate from the start.  That’s why ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranked Moore as his No. 1 QB in the draft. The reason why he came to Eugene is sitting within arm’s reach for him. The question is, does he go for it?

Dan Lanning, in his tenure at Oregon so far, has always worked with a different QB1 each season. But unlike his peers, Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix, Moore has two years of eligibility left. Lanning can very well experiment with keeping him on for one more year, as he has already proven to succeed. But Moore no longer has Will Stein to guide him at Eugene, which could factor into his decision.

The future of the Oregon QB room depends on Moore’s decision. Lanning can look at the in-house talents of Luke Moga and Austin Novosad, who lost the QB1 race this season. Behind them is Akili Smith Jr. Dan Lanning can also test young blood for the job by considering 4-star QB Bryce Beaver. Again, Oregon will most likely make rounds of the transfer portal, which is also stacked with top QBs. Dylan Raiola’s top landing spot is rumored to be Eugene.

For now, Dante Moore is focused on bringing first-time playoff glory to Lanning and Oregon by getting past JMU. But if he does end up declaring for the draft, one team will fight tooth and nail for the elite QB.

Dante Moore expected to go to the Raiders in the 2026 draft

Moore will very likely go as a first-round pick in the 2026 draft. At this point, NFL franchises appear to have identified new position needs throughout the season. And among those who need a QB, none fits Moore better than the Raiders. The franchise has already made two trades to secure the No. 2 position in the draft.

“It’s got to be Dante Moore. I don’t like the inexperience, but like, you have to draft Dante Moore there,” Steve Muench said on the Todd McShay Show on December 11.

There is an extremely strong chance that Raiders QB Geno Smith will not reprise his role next season. He signed a 2-year, $75 million contract with the Raiders, but the deal hasn’t worked out for the Raiders. Smith has the 2nd-worst QBR (32.5) in the whole league this year. He also leads the NFL in interceptions (14) and sacks (49), forcing the Raiders to look at new talent in the draft. Dante Moore may or may not get a start right away, since he has only 26 career starts so far. But this one season at Oregon makes a really compelling case for him to play a role in some capacity.

Moreover, Moore will be meeting the production of star TE Brock Bowers and RB Ashton Jeanty. With the QB, the Raiders can hope for the offense to make a significant leap from its current state. But everyone vying for the QB has to wait for the day he makes up his mind. It affects him, interested franchises, and the future Oregon offense, which is now staring at an extremely different picture compared to what was planned.