Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was outclassed by Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza during the No. 5 Ducks’ blowout 56-22 loss to the No. 1 Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl on Friday. Moore went 24-of-39 for 285 yards, resulting in 2 touchdowns and an interception in the contest.
Moore versus Mendoza, round two, was billed as the battle of the projected top two quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft class, with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner emerging as a clear victor, as the Oregon quarterback still mulls over his future.
Dante Moore Addresses Draft Status
Moore’s draft status has provoked widespread discourse among both fans and analysts, and during his postgame news conference after the Peach Bowl, the Oregon quarterback was still undecided about whether to return to college football or declare for the NFL Draft.
“I’m going to soak this moment up and, most importantly, give my hugs and thank yous to my teammates,” Moore said. “But at the end of the day, I don’t know my decision yet. I’m going to talk to coach Lanning and talk to my family and everybody, but at the end of the day, I don’t want to think about that right now.”
“At the end of the day, I don’t know my decision yet.”
Dante Moore on his future ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/W1r22EaepO
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 10, 2026
According to PFSN’s NFL Scouting Insights Team, Moore is tabbed to be the second quarterback off the board, behind Mendoza, during the 2026 NFL Draft. He is also ranked 22nd in PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Metric with a score of 85.9.
Analyst Elevates Moore Over Fernando Mendoza
During an appearance on Friday’s segment of the “Dan Patrick Show,” Fox Sports analyst Brady Quinn waded into the debate of which quarterback was better, and he elevated Moore over Mendoza as the better QB prospect in the NFL Draft class of 2026.
“If Dante Moore comes out, I’m not so sure he’s not going to be the number one overall pick,” Quinn said. “I think there’s a real argument to be made in his upside, in his skill set. He to me, if he came out, would be the purest passer. I think he’s got a strong arm. I think he layers his throws better.
“I sit there and look at Dante Moore and I say ‘Man, that’s the guy I feel like probably has the higher upside.’ I would lean right now, based on my film study on both probably on Dante Moore. I think they could be both franchise quarterbacks, they each have a skillset that translates.”
Moore led the Ducks to a 13-2 record in his first full season as a starter for Oregon after succeeding Dillon Gabriel as coach Dan Lanning’s QB1.
