Todd McShay makes case for Dante Moore to wait on NFL Draft, return to Oregon in 2026

With Oregon’s loss to Indiana in the Peach Bowl, Dante Moore’s future is no front-and-center. The Ducks quarterback is considered one of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft, but analyst Todd McShay argued Moore could benefit from another year in Eugene.

Friday’s College Football Playoff semifinal game marked Moore’s 20th start at the college level. He made five starts as a true freshman at UCLA and preserved a redshirt in 2024 before taking over as the starter in 2025. Oregon finished the year 13-2, with both losses coming to Indiana.

Moore completed 71.8% of his passes for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns, to 10 interceptions, in his first full year as a starting quarterback. But given his experience, coupled with a rough showing in the Peach Bowl, McShay made the case for Moore to run it back rather than declare for the draft. Moore said Friday he doesn’t know what his future holds.

“My point is, I’m looking at Dante Moore in his 20th start and he looks like a guy,” McShay said on his podcast after the Peach Bowl. “And yeah, the running back on the RPO shouldn’t have hit his elbow when he went to throw.

“But the strip-sack and several other plays, I’m watching a quarterback – yes, your receivers are covered up, but we’ve got speed up that clock, man. I don’t think Dante Moore’s ready.”

Todd McShay: History supports a Dante Moore return

McShay pointed to an adage from Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, who famously looked for quarterbacks with at least 30 starts while doing his evaluations of prospects. Given Moore’s one full year of starting experience, McShay said he could follow in the footsteps of Jayden Daniels, Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart and and fellow Oregon Duck Bo Nix by returning for an extra year to develop.

That group of players was able to cash in via NIL by returning to school. But McShay also used more examples to make his point. Mitch Trubisky, Mark Sanchez and Anthony Richardson are among players who struggled in the NFL despite doing early in the draft. None of those three players started more than 20 games at the college level.

Given that history, McShay said Moore could further increase his chances of success in the NFL if he returns to college in 2026. He also explained he projected Moore to be the No. 1 pick to show the amount of talent Moore possesses, acknowledging it’s still very early in the pre-draft process.

“The history tells us – and especially in this day and age of NIL and transfer portal. A lot of those names … are part of this new regime,” McShay said. “Cam Ward, Jayden Daniels, Dart. All transfer guys that got extra time and went through some tough times, when they were hardened when they got in the league. I don’t disagree with you that Dante Moore could be the better quarterback. But I’m asking you this question, legitimately. Knowing the history and knowing all the problems … hearing that list I just gave you and watching him then [in the Peach Bowl], are you comfortable taking him at 1 overall?

“I mocked him there because I was trying to show everyone that Dante Moore is just as talented – if not, maybe more talented and maybe has a higher ceiling – than Mendoza. It’s the first mock draft. Plenty of things will change. My point was to show this is not just Mendoza and everybody else. But would you take Moore over Mendoza, even after watching this tonight and then, more importantly, knowing it’s just his 20th start?”

How Dante Moore’s stock could change with return

If Moore was to return to school and get another 12 starts under his belt during the regular season – not to mention potentially more postseason experience – McShay said he would feel better about his chances of finding quick success in the NFL. But he also noted some other factors in play, including the fact Will Stein is leaving Oregon to become the Kentucky head coach.

“He can come back next year, play 12, 13, 15 more games and now, he’s in the range we’re talking about with [Matthew] Stafford, Lamar [Jackson], Dak [Prescott], Caleb [Williams], [Jordan] Love,” McShay said. “I feel a lot more comfortable, then.

“But also, that’s the last game he played with Will Stein, who’s going to be the Kentucky head coach. There’s just a lot of factors here.”