Dante Moore
Oregon#5 overallDraft Movement
Down 2 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. Bleacher Report's scouting report grades him as a 2026 QB2 with legitimate franchise upside, and PFF flagged him as an early riser with an 83.5 overall and 82.0 passing grade through his first three games. The Ringer's mock draft buzz and Steel Curtain Network both 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.
Strengths
- Natural thrower with touch, accuracy, and pro-level ball placement per Bleacher Report
- 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)
- PFF-graded 83.5 overall and 82.0 passing 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 per MDD); 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, 58.1 PFF passing grade, 26% pressure-to-sack. 2024 Oregon: redshirt behind Dillon Gabriel. 2025 Oregon (RS-So): full-time starter, 83.5 PFF overall / 82.0 passing through early sample, 2.73s time to throw, multi-pick outing vs. Indiana balanced by signature win at Penn State
Measurables
Awards & Honors
Midseason 2026 QB1 per multiple outlets before returning to school; consensus top-10 overall prospect on early 2026 boards (Steel Curtain Network, The Ringer, Bleacher Report); PFF Early Draft Riser (2025); 247Sports 5-star recruit, No. 3 QB in 2023 class; projected QB1 for 2027 NFL Draft