Even after a disastrous performance in the College Football Playoff against the Indiana Hoosiers, many scouts and front office executives around the National Football League thought Dante Moore would be a top-three pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, he will remain the Oregon Ducks quarterback in 2026.
On Wednesday, Moore announced on ESPN's SportsCenter that he would remain the Ducks starting quarterback next season, opting against being a top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. While the NIL era certainly played a part in it, other factors were reportedly in play.
According to Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports , a lack of starting experience at the collegiate level played a major factor in the decision to return to Eugene.
The 20-year-old quarterback, who earned Third-Team All-Big Ten honors this past season, has made just 20 career starts across three years with Oregon and the UCLA Bruins. He redshirted in 2024 with the Ducks, learning behind Dillon Gabriel before taking over the reins of the offense in 2025.
Using the old Bill Parcells rules for drafting quarterbacks, teams tend to prefer a signal-caller with multiple years of starting experience (30-plus starts) at the collegiate level. Better yet, an experienced starter with 23-plus wins and a 2-1 TD-INT ratio. If Moore stays healthy next season, he will check all the boxes.
However, limited experience as a starter is not the only reason Moore opted not to enter the 2026 NFL Draft. Pauline also noted that some concern from Moore camp regarding what team would draft him ( New York Jets ) played a role in the decision to return to Oregon.
There is downside to this move for Moore. The latest evidence came this past season. Clemson's Cade Klubnik and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier were projected top-50 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. They opted to return to school, and both will now likely be Day 3 picks in 2026.
However, Moore is returning to a Ducks football program that retains a majority of its starters from this past season and expects to have a healthier receiving corps next fall than it did in 2025. While he will be in what looks like a much stronger 2027 NFL Draft class, featuring Arch Manning and LaNorris Sellers, Moore can make $5-plus million next season at Oregon and enter the draft next year as a more NFL-ready quarterback.
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