The tools are still there for Donte Moore.
Considering how poorly Oregon has played through the first two weeks of the season, while not all of that is Dante Moore's fault, there's a lot to consider for the young quarterback, who is expected to be a top-five to 10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Reports had indicated before the last draft that he could have gone second overall to the New York Jets, though Moore decided to return to college, and there really isn't much else to say about that. His decision is made, and all he can do is focus on raising his draft stock.
However, it's not unfair to suggest that Moore made the wrong decision. Even then, it didn't really seem like a decision that made a whole lot of sense. That's not to say guys aren't getting paid a ton of money in college or that he didn't want to come back to help this team win a national title, but Oregon hasn't exactly played well.
For that reason and more, it's only fair to suggest that Moore might be a bit frustrated with his decision to return to the college ranks.
Longtime analyst Todd McShay had a lot to say about the situation, going so far as to say that while Moore is the same type of player he was, other factors are at play, including his leadership and how he shows it.
"Oregon right now is at a crossroads; there's no question," McShay said, H/T Ducks Wire. "Dante looks good. Dante's still making the throws. There's an element that you want to see as an evaluator, though, where at some point, we all know with Dante, the level of poise he has, and the way he carries himself, and the maturity he has, and the smarts that he has at that position is all highly coveted, right?
"But at some point, a quarterback has to kind of take the reins of the team and become that, whether it's vocal, whether it's by example, whether it's, you know, just setting the bar; this is the expectation. We are now going to see, for the rest of this season, what Dante Moore is made of in that regard."
I don't disagree with what McShay is saying here, but I also don't believe any of the faults we've seen from Oregon in the first couple of weeks have a lot to do with Moore.
The offense has been more than fine, but the defense has been brutal. If the offense keeps impressing and the defense does anything of significance, Oregon should be in a fine spot, and all the questions about this program will be out the window for the next couple of months.
