Former NFL QB has ‘no doubt’ Oregon’s Dante Moore is still a first-round pick despite injury

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Oregon has lost its starting quarterback for the season, as Dante Moore is still recovering from a concussion he sustained against USC. Oregon fans may also never see Moore back in the Ducks uniform again, as he is expected to declare for the 2027 NFL Draft.

With the injury and some struggles to start the season, questions now linger about Moore’s draft prospects. Still, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers believes the Ducks quarterback is still a first-round pick, per Thomas Goldkamp of On3.

“Absolutely I think he is, he is a first-round pick still,” Rodgers said. “I think we have a little bit of recency bias. Last year he was the best in the country with ball location. He had more NFL translatable throws, layered throws, intermediate, perimeter throws, than (Fernando) Mendoza did. Obviously Mendoza was the right pick to go first, even if Dante was in that draft. But yes we would like to see a bigger body of work from Dante but there is still so much that you go through the tape and go, ‘That absolutely translates.’

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Still, teams have a lot of options at quarterback in this loaded draft class. Beyond Moore, there is Trindad Chambliss from Ole Miss, Drew Mestemaker from Oklahoma State, CJ Carr from Notre Dame, Darian Mensah from Miami, and Arch Manning from Texas. Rodgers has Moore ranked right behind Chambliss currently.

“I, right now, have Trinidad Chambliss as my No. 1 quarterback for the NFL Draft next year,” he said. “And I think it’s a toss-up right now between Dante Moore and Drew Mestemaker. I think you’re drafting them for different reasons. The ceiling on Drew Mestemaker is like a Josh Allen. The arm talent, the mobility… off the charts. Need to see some more consistency. And for Dante Moore, you’re like the throws translate, some of the decisions still could have been better, but there’s a higher floor than maybe a Mestemaker. So I think without a doubt Dante Moore is still a first-round draft pick.”

Former NFL QB has ‘no doubt’

Moore could still be a first-round pick, but there are plenty of options out there. Moore could also decide to return to school if he chooses and has time to make that decision.

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