dpEli Manning or Philip Rivers? Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota? Could Dante Moore or Fernando Mendoza have been the next “which quarterback will go No. 1” debate?
Draft analyst Todd McShay suggested as much on Aug. 18 on the Brandon Walker College Football Show that while Mendoza was ready to step in and play right away, Moore possessed the higher ceiling.
Moore ended the debate early when he decided to return to the No. 2 Oregon Ducks for his senior season. Indiana’s Mendoza turned his national championship and Heisman Trophy into the No. 1 overall pick and is now taking snaps under center for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now Moore is back with an opportunity to punch through McShay’s ceiling projection. Here’s what Moore needs to do to develop into that No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL draft and prove that returning to Eugene was the right choice.
Why the Raiders Chose Mendoza
The short answer is that Mendoza had a year for the ages. The longer, more complex, answer is that the Hoosier quarterback was better suited to face NFL competition right away.
Mendoza amassed 3,535 yards while completing 72 percent of his passes and leading the nation with 41 touchdowns. His accuracy, poise and ability to protect the ball were highly appealing to a Raiders team in dire need of stability.
That became especially true with Moore returning to Oregon. Otherwise, is there a chance that it’s Moore wearing the silver-and-black in the Raiders training camp despite the remarkably high floor created by Mendoza’s final season in Bloomington?
Dante Moore’s Potential Ceiling
Mendoza represented the safer bet, yet Moore is the more tantalizing option, demonstrating so in his first full year under center for the Ducks.
One difference is the experience gap. Whereas Mendoza was a senior, Moore was a junior in 2025 and competing in just his first year as a starter against Power Four competition. At 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, Moore threw for 30 more yards than Mendoza, but had 11 fewer touchdowns and four more picks.
Moore possesses the arm strength, athleticism and play-making abilities that make scouts stand up and take notice.
What Dante Moore has to Prove
So what does Moore need to accomplish in 2026 that eluded him last season?
Mendoza might have set an unfair bar for anyone to clear, given the underdog-to-hero status the quarterback rose to during his Heisman campaign. That or Mendoza provided the perfect road map to where Moore needs to go.
Chief among them is to win the big games. Moore guided Oregon to a 13-2 record in 2025, but both losses came at the hands of Mendoza and eventual champion Indiana, once in the regular season and again in the CFP semifinal. In fact, the former Cal Bear Mendoza is 3-0 all-time versus Moore dating back to Moore’s freshman year at UCLA.
He’ll have to do so with an offensive line down three starters from last year, as well as tight end Kenyon Sadiq (560 yards, eight touchdowns), who is now with the New York Jets. Which needs to be tightened up before the Ducks’ Nov. 7 road game at No. 1 Ohio State.
That means taking the team on his back, even despite the Ducks’ roster of elite talent. Working in the Oregon quarterback’s favor is that, where Mendoza had four years to achieve near perfection, Moore has the potential to equal it in just his second full season as Oregon’s signal caller.
Dante Moore, Part 2
Moore isn’t simply chasing the Ducks’ first national title, a Heisman Trophy and an improved draft stock by returning to Eugene. He may not have to replicate Mendoza’s season, but he does need to make the leap from excellent to superstar.
That means making season and career-defining plays.
One of the many indelible moments from Mendoza’s unprecedented national championship run came in the title game where he put his body on the line with an outstretched touchdown for the ages.
It’s easier said than done, but Moore also needs that distinct image of his own. He needs that transcendent moment on a national stage that leaves the entire nation holding its breath in collective awe.
Mendoza earned his No. 1 pick designation courtesy of one of the greatest Cinderella runs in sports history. Moore isn’t running on the same underdog status. He’s tasked with writing his own story in the face of immense championship and Heisman expectations.
It’s the kind of pressure and experience he wouldn’t necessarily be facing right now in an NFL camp. After all, the next quarterback selected in the 2026 NFL draft was Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who went to the Los Angeles Rams with the No. 13 overall pick.
Instead he’s back at Oregon with a ceiling to punch through.
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