Dante Moore, Oregon Athletics
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, widely projected as a potential first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, will miss the rest of the season with a concussion, Ducks head coach Dan Lanning announced on Monday evening.
Moore suffered a concussion when he was hit late while sliding by USC linebacker Desman Stephens II during a game on Sept. 26. He has not yet been cleared to return to practice, Lanning said.
The 21-year-old was widely considered to be one of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft, if he had chosen to come out after his junior year, but he instead returned to Oregon for his senior season.
Moore spent much of the offseason projected as the No. 2 player in the 2027 NFL Draft, behind only Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Now, the stock of both players has wavered, with Manning struggling at Texas and Moore injured.
Moore and Manning have been passed by Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker as the consensus top quarterback in the draft class.
Moore has another season of NCAA eligibility, if he chooses to return to the college ranks in 2027 now after his injury. He is currently ranked No. 25 on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board.
Steelers Now analyst Derrick Bell ranked Moore fifth in his most recent 2027 NFL Draft quarterback big board.
Moore has been replaced by backup Dylan Raiola, a former top prospect who transferred to Oregon from Nebraska last offseason.
Moore, who played his high school football in Detroit, spent his freshman season at UCLA, where he started five games before transferring to Oregon in 2024. He played sparingly as a sophomore before bursting onto the scene in 2025.
Last season, Moore threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions while leading the Ducks to the College Football Playoff semifinal.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who are still search for the team’s next franchise quarterback with Aaron Rodgers expected to retire after the 2026 season, had a scout see Moore in-person this season before his injury, during his Week 3 game against Portland State.
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