Mel Kiper defines Dante Moore as 'a guy to watch' in 2026 NFL Draft

Through two games this season, Dante Moore has been more than a worthy successor to Dillon Gabriel at Oregon. Moore has led the Ducks to a 2-0 record with dominant wins over Montana State and Oklahoma State, passing for 479 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.

Moore seems to finally be playing up to the level of his high school expectations, as he was tabbed the No. 2 overall player in the country in the Class of 2023. Due to his strong start to the season, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. revealed that he thinks Moore could be one of the best quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

“Dante Moore is a guy to watch,” Kiper Jr. said. “Dante Moore was ranked No. 2 overall at ESPN300 behind just Malachi Nelson. Moore was No. 2, Arch Manning was No. 4. Dante Moore started out at UCLA and it didn’t go so well. Had nine interceptions and had a pick-six in three straight games I believe. Now he’s sitting there as the quarterback at Oregon with Will Stein, the great coordinator who’s gonna be a head coach soon at 35 years of age. Former Louisville quarterback.”

“Who did Will Stein have? Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and now Dante Moore. Dante Moore is a third year sophomore because he redshirted behind Gabriel last year. He has another year and he can have that year because you think about the NIL at Oregon. He goes back for another year even though he’s draft eligible this year. Dante Moore, No. 2 coming out of high school, will be high on that big board. He’ll be way up there.”

Kiper Jr, who has been evaluating the NFL Draft since 1984, knows what he’s talking about when evaluating quarterbacks. If he is impressed by Moore, he surely is doing something right.

Kiper Jr. applauds Moore’s accuracy and precision passing

“The 6-foot-3, 206-pounder showed great accuracy on Saturday against the Cowboys,” Kiper Jr. continued. “The touch on his deep balls was fantastic, and he routinely threw with precision from different arm angles and while rolling either direction. Moore has thrown for at least 200 yards, completed at least 75% of his throws and tossed at least three TD passes in both contests — and he hasn’t thrown any INTs yet. “

“Now, the schedule is going to get tougher. I have Moore’s trip to Penn State circled for late September. How will he handle a ‘white out’ environment? But if Moore keeps playing like this, Round 1 will be in play.”

Depending on how Arch Manning plays over the remainder of the 2025 season, the top quarterback spot could be wide open when it comes to the 2026 NFL Draft. Moore might not elevate to become top overall pick material, but the Oregon quarterback would certainly love to get into the first round.

It’s not like the hype is out of nowhere for Moore either. He was a stud recruit, but his first season in college football at UCLA didn’t inspire many, and he didn’t play during Year 1 at Oregon, as he sat behind. a veteran in Gabriel. It all seems to be paying off now though.

This weekend will bring Moore and the Ducks to Northwestern, as they’ll face the Wildcats on the road. We’ll see if he can continue to show off some incredible play this season, and gain love from Kiper Jr. and other analysts moving forward.

On3’s Steve Samra contributed to this article.