It’s been roughly a week since Dante Moore announced his return to Eugene over the 2026 NFL Draft. It was a bold decision by Moore, as the expectation on Oregon’s QB was on a constant rise. While most wonder if Dante Moore made the right choice, ESPN’s veteran analyst, Mel Kiper, shares his verdict on his decision.

While discussing his first 2026 mock draft, Mel Kiper admitted that Dante Moore’s decision to stay with Oregon was the most obvious and right choice for his career.

“Dante Moore made the right choice,” said Mel Kiper on the January 21 episode of NFL on ESPN.

“Dante Moore is poised. He’s a beautiful thrower of the football and a decision-maker at times. But experience—let’s experience the best teacher—and all that will come together. Add a little weight and strength to that frame.”

“He’s only 20 years of age. Turns 21 in May. He’ll be more prepared in year two with Oregon. They’re going to have weapons all over the place. Their defense is bringing back all those stars. Everything is set up for Dante Moore to have a great year. Now, another full season sets up beautifully for teams picking one and two next year. For a 20-year-old with only 20 starts, it was the obvious move, and fortunately, he made the right move.”

Notably, Mel Kiper ranked Dante Moore as his No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft months ago, all because of the history the NFL has of chewing up and spitting out ill-prepared signal callers. If you take a look at the past, many first-round QBs with a starting QB caliber in the NFL were pulled down due to a lack of preparation, on-field experience, and failing to lead a professional team.

Kiper stated that Moore can learn and develop more at Oregon before risking it, as he believes that “the NFL can wait” for the right candidate.

He also predicted that if this were 2027, Oregon’s Dante Moore and Texas’s Arch Manning would be his top contenders for the number one pick in the NFL Draft next fall.

Dante Moore’s return to Oregon aims for a national title

Dante Moore, on January 15, announced his decision to stay with Oregon for one more season. The redshirt junior revealed that the national championship pursuit was one of his primary goals for returning, which just slipped in the CFP semifinals.

“With my decision, it’s been very tough,” Dante Moore told Sportster.

“I’ve prayed a lot about it, talked to many people — my mentors and people I look up to. With that being said, of course, I’ll be coming back to Oregon for one more year, being able to play for the Oregon Ducks and reach our goal and be national champions.”

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Moore’s return makes Oregon one of the early favorites for the national title in 2026, all because of the impact he made this past season.

Dante Moore, in his first season as a starting QB, threw 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns, with 71.8% of his passes. With Dan Lanning retaining multiple key pieces on the defensive line and returning a strong wide receiver and tailbacks, it could be a big boost for Moore’s NFL profile and keep Oregon on the national title pursuit.

However, how things unfold for Moore and Oregon is yet to be seen.