Jan. 14, 2026, 3:22 p.m. CT
Whew. Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore announced on Wednesday that he’s passing on the 2026 NFL Draft to stay in school for another year. It could be a good decision for the 20-year old redshirt sophomore, who has started only 20 games at the college level. But it’s risky. The high end of NIL deals pay about $6 million per year, and if he had declared and been a top-two pick, he’d be in line to earn at least $10 million in 2026. This year’s second overall pick will receive more than $55.5 million over the first four years of their contract. Moore has to be planning for the first overall pick in 2027 — and sustained success.
But what about the New Orleans Saints? Moore wouldn’t have been a target for them with Tyler Shough locked in to start in 2026 (and he probably wouldn’t have made it to the No. 8 pick anyway). It’s the ripple effect we’re worried about. If Moore had entered the draft, another player at a position of need may have been pushed down to their pick with him going ahead of them. Since he isn’t in the draft, that’s potentially another player they would have wanted not being available.
When we surveyed the latest wave of mock drafts last week, we found these eight prospects were consensus top-10 picks:
QB Fernando Mendoza, IndianaQB Dante Moore, OregonEDGE Arvell Reese, Ohio StateEDGE Rueben Bain Jr., MiamiWR Carnell Tate, Ohio StateWR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona StateRB Jeremiyah Love, Notre DameS Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Mendoza is a virtual lock to go first overall, but any of these players would be a welcome pick for the Saints. If this is how the draft board falls, they could miss out on one of this year’s top prospects. But all it takes is another team going off-script to push one of those guys to New Orleans. And at the end of the day, the Saints are evaluating prospects on their board, not anyone else’s. If there’s a player available they have graded differently from everyone else, they’ll take him.
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.