Going into the 2026 NFL Draft cycle, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza looked like the clear-cut choice for the Las Vegas Raiders. But behind the scenes, the front office was torn. Draft insider Todd McShay revealed on the Brandon Walker College Football Show that Las Vegas had its eye on another Big Ten star, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. While Mendoza was the polished, pro-ready pick, scouts believed Moore possessed a much higher long-term ceiling.

That makes Dante Moore’s January decision to return to Oregon more interesting. Todd McShay explained the Raiders’ thinking on the Brandon Walker College Football Show. 

“From my intel, they hadn’t made a decision,” he said. “It was going to be a very difficult one because Mendoza was more ready. Now, Dante Moore’s ceiling was higher.”

In other words, the Raiders were weighing the safer QB against the one they believed could eventually become something bigger. But Dante Moore never gave them the chance. The Ducks QB announced in January that he would skip the 2026 NFL Draft and return for another season under Dan Lanning. He had been projected as one of the top QBs available, and a strong 2025 season only pushed his stock higher.

Fernando Mendoza had the numbers to make the Raiders feel good about him. He finished at Indiana with 8,247 passing yards, 66 TDs, and 22 interceptions. Then 2025 went off. He threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns, and ran for 276 yards and scored seven more. He also walked away with the Heisman, Big Ten MVP, and a national title.

Dante Moore had a big season too, putting up 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns at Oregon. But there was a big difference. He had hardly played in his first two years. So 2025 was really his first full season as the starter. That left NFL teams with a lot more to figure out.

Fernando Mendoza looked ready for Sundays, while Dante Moore looked like a QB whose best football might still be ahead of him. And that is apparently what intrigued the Raiders. That fascination with raw potential over finished products is practically coded into the Raiders’ DNA.

For decades, the franchise has consistently gambled on elite physical traits, high ceilings, and explosive tools over traditional, safe college resumes. Seeing front-office personnel salivate over Moore’s upside, even with far fewer starts than Mendoza, fits the exact historical blueprint of how Las Vegas evaluates franchise quarterbacks. Todd McShay also pointed to Oregon’s situation when explaining why the QB remained such an interesting prospect.

“Oregon is loaded talent-wise,” he added. “And I actually think a certain way that they’re even more loaded this year… So this is going to be a huge year for Dante. I’m telling you right now, man, Dante goes in as the number one guy. Dante might have been, had he elected to come out, the number one quarterback taken ahead of Fernando Mendoza.”

Dante Moore came back because he wanted another shot at Oregon’s unfinished business. The Ducks had gone 26-3 over their first two seasons in the Big Ten but still had not broken through for a national championship. 

“There’s some unfinished goals,” Dan Lanning summed up the mood after his QB’s decision. “There’s some unfinished business. We’re a team that got so close the last two years.”

For Dante Moore, that was enough to stay. For the Raiders, it meant moving forward with Fernando Mendoza. Still, the Raiders’ interest in the Ducks’ QB adds a wrinkle to the story. They may have believed Mendoza was the better QB right now; they just may have thought Moore could become the better one later.