All eyes were on quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore as the two faced off this past weekend. The two are considered the top quarterbacks for the 2026 NFL Draft. Now, ESPN's draft guru, Mel Kiper, has released his first NFL Draft Big Board of the year, and he has Dante Moore at the top.
“Moore is a third-year sophomore with some impressive traits. His accuracy has been solid all season, and he shows good touch on his deep ball. Moore can throw from different arm angles with precision and delivers strikes while rolling either left or right out of the pocket. He can scramble a bit too,” Kiper wrote to describe the Ducks quarterback.
Still, he does not have a ton of experience yet. He is a third-year sophomore, but did see time as a true freshman. The former Bruin started five games for UCLA in 2023 while appearing in nine games. He completed 114 of 213 passes for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns. The quarterback was also intercepted nine times. He would then transfer to the Oregon program, but sit behind Dillon Gabriel for a season.
Now, Moore has shown he is an improved quarterback. Despite the poor performance against Indiana, he is still having a great year. He has passed for 1,396 yards with 15 touchdowns while completing 72 percent of his passes.
Where will Dante Moore be drafted?
Kiper's ESPN colleague Jordan Reid gave his NFL mock draft for the first round in 2026. Reid currently has Moore going No. 3 overall to the Cleveland Browns.
“Moore was surging up draft boards prior to an underwhelming performance against Indiana, but he is a calm distributor with the arm strength to get the ball to all three levels of the field. His 72% completion percentage ranks ninth in the FBS. Moore has only 11 career starts, but he is primed to be near the top of a QB class filled with question marks. The Browns have plenty of questions of their own under center, as rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders haven't established themselves as long-term options,” wrote Reid about the Browns taking Moore with the third pick.
Currently, according to Reid, he is the second quarterback taken off the board. He has Fernando Mendoza going first overall to the New York Jets. He has edge rusher Ruben Bain Jr. from Miami heading to the Ravens with the second pick.
