Dante Moore
Oregon#6 overallDraft Movement
Down 3 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
Dante Moore has skyrocketed in his first full year as Oregon's starter and projects as the 2027 class headliner at quarterback after announcing he would return to Eugene rather than declare for 2026. Scouts grade him as an early-round quarterback with legitimate franchise upside, and he flashed as an early riser with elite efficiency grades through his first three games. Mock-draft buzz pegged him as a bona fide top-ten prospect before he opted to return. At 6'3", 206 pounds, Moore is a natural thrower with touch, accuracy, and precise ball placement; the kind of catchable football that lets receivers create after the catch. Pocket poise is the loudest trait on tape, he plays with a low pulse, trusts the structure of Will Stein's offense, and has answered the bell in 'gotta have it' moments, including a Jayden Daniels-esque road win at Penn State. He layers velocity and touch, throws comfortably from different platforms, and is slippery enough to extend plays and create second-reaction throws. The warts that remain are sample size (just 19 career starts between UCLA and Oregon), a slighter frame that invites durability questions, mechanics that fray under sustained pressure, and a multi-interception meltdown against Indiana that exposed processing under duress. The return-to-school decision is the cleanest possible response, another full year as QB1 in Eugene should let him stack reps against the schedule (Indiana rematch, Penn State, Ohio State) that exposed him, and the 2027 board sets up with Moore as the early QB1 conversation alongside Arch Manning.
The Tape
Strengths
- Natural thrower with touch, accuracy, and pro-level ball placement
- Plus arm talent with enough velocity to attack tight windows and layer throws
- Low-pulse pocket poise, difficult to speed up, trusts structure and answers in clutch moments
- Quick, snappy release and 2.73-second average time to throw beats pressure
- Above-average athlete who climbs the pocket, evades outside rush, and creates second-reaction throws (Penn State win compared to Jayden Daniels)
- Elite efficiency grades early in 2025 with four big-time throws to one turnover-worthy play through three games
- Strong pre-snap processor who identifies blitzers and gets ball to playmakers
- Accurate on the move both inside the pocket and rolling out
Weaknesses
- Arm strength is plus but not elite
- passes lose juice the further they travel downfield
- Sample size remains thin, only 19 career starts and one full season as QB1
- Mechanics deteriorate under sustained pressure with erratic footwork and unbalanced base leading to accuracy dips
- Slighter frame invites durability concerns at the NFL level
- Will panic and bail on progressions when protection breaks down (multiple sacks and fumbles vs. Indiana)
- Forces throws into traffic in key spots against top-25 defenses, leading to avoidable interceptions
- Performances start-to-finish against ranked opponents were rarely clean in 2025
NFL Comparison
Jayden Daniels (pocket poise, second-reaction creation); Brock Purdy (frame, rhythm thrower, layered accuracy over elite arm); Bo Nix (Oregon-system polish, mobility-as-bonus profile)
College Stats
2023 UCLA (Fr): 9 games, 5 starts, 3-2 record, 11 TD / 9 INT, modest passing grade, 26% pressure-to-sack. 2024 Oregon: redshirt behind Dillon Gabriel. 2025 Oregon (RS-So): full-time starter, elite overall and passing grades through early sample, 2.73s time to throw, multi-pick outing vs. Indiana balanced by signature win at Penn State
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $3.78M on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Oregon's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
The college fantasy model projects 17.8 PPG (QB13), after 15.8 PPG across 15 games last year.
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Measurables
Awards & Honors
Regarded as a midseason 2026 QB1 before returning to school; consensus top-10 overall prospect on early 2026 boards; flagged as an early draft riser in 2025; five-star recruit and top-3 QB in the 2023 class; projected QB1 for the 2027 NFL Draft