Oregon QB Dante Moore Wants More Preparation Before NFL

Dante Moore could have taken the easy way out by entering the 2026 NFL Draft. 

Moore's only legit competition early in the draft was Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who went No. 1 to the Las Vegas Raiders. Moore was expected to be selected ahead of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who went No. 13 to the Los Angeles Rams.

Even after losing in a blowout to Indiana, Moore could have been taken by the New York Jets at No. 2 or the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3. 

Instead, he took the risky decision of returning to Eugene to play one more season for Oregon before heading into the 2027 draft, a class that is expected to be filled with potential first round prospects.

The choice was never about where Moore would be drafted. There's a good chance he could fall to a lower spot in the 2027 draft than he where he would have gone in 2026 if he doesn't show major improvement over peers such as Arch Manning at Texas or CJ Carr at Notre Dame.

Moore wanted to to return to Oregon because he felt gaining camp snaps at the college level would help him develop into a better quarterback in the league. He was worried that being put on an NFL team too early could set him up for failure.

"There's so many times when guys get drafted high and aren't prepared and their careers just go downhill from there," Moore told Mark Schlabach of ESPN.

"There are going to be some times I'm going to fail in life, and I'm going to keep learning, but it's just I'd rather be more prepared before going (pro)."

Moore will have a set of unique challenges at Oregon this season. While the defense is loaded and Moore has experienced talent at receiver and running back to work with, the offensive line will have three new starters. Moore struggled when the protection broke down against Texas Tech and Indiana last year. 

Oregon has a tough schedule, and he will face tougher defenses in more games this season. That should make Moore a better player when he gets to the league, but it could affect where he gets drafted.