Dante Moore’s NFL future is still very much alive, even after Oregon’s rough start.
That’s the message from draft analyst Todd McShay, who pushed back on the growing chatter that Moore’s stock has taken a major hit after the Ducks fell to 1-1 with an upset loss to unranked Oklahoma State. Oregon came into the year ranked No. 2 and even had billboards in Tokyo featuring Moore as part of his Heisman Trophy push. Two games in, the season has already shifted from buildup to damage control.
Moore passed on the 2026 NFL Draft, where he was viewed as a potential top-five pick, to return to Eugene for another season. That decision is going to be judged by everything that happens from here on out, and after the loss in Stillwater, the overreactions started fast. McShay isn’t buying the idea that Moore has suddenly been exposed.
“Dante looks good,” McShay said. “Dante’s still making the throws...
Dante Moore is going to be a top-five pick,” McShay said. “This is not a Klubnik or a Drew Allar situation where they’re overrated.”
Even with that confidence, McShay did flag one thing that matters. Moore’s tools and poise are obvious, but now the question is whether he can fully seize the huddle and set the tone for a team that needs a steady voice.
“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,” McShay said. “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 just setting the bar: This is the expectation.”
That challenge will be under the microscope after a game in which Moore had arguably the worst outing of his Oregon career. In front of more than 20 scouts and multiple NFL general managers, he went 14-of-29 for 191 yards with two touchdowns and was outplayed by Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
How he answers now matters for a lot more than one bad Saturday. Oregon hosts Portland State on a short week, then heads into Big Ten play on the road against No.
USC. McShay wants to see Moore respond by taking greater ownership of the Ducks.
There’s a bigger layer here for Oregon, too. The program has built a reputation as a place where quarterbacks can come in and become NFL prospects. Bo Nix revived his career in Eugene, Dillon Gabriel turned into a third-round pick, and Moore himself rebuilt his draft momentum after struggling at UCLA.
Now Oregon has a new offensive coordinator in Drew Mehringer after Will Stein left for the head coaching job at Kentucky, and Moore’s season could shape how the Ducks are viewed going forward. If the story becomes that Oregon’s quarterback success belonged to Stein rather than the program itself under Dan Lanning, that could affect high school recruits, transfer portal targets and Oregon’s pitch to elite quarterbacks across the country.
The Ducks have five current NFL quarterbacks who started at Oregon: Nix, Gabriel, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, Marcus Mariota of the Washington Commanders and Tyler Shough of the New Orleans Saints. Nix and Gabriel are the only ones on that list who were coached by Stein.
So the spotlight comes back to Moore on Friday night at Autzen Stadium. Oregon needs a bounce-back.
Moore needs a response. And both the Ducks’ season and his NFL path are waiting on what happens next.
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