When it comes to the 2027 quarterback class, hope springs eternal. Especially after a 2026 class that produced two first-rounders in Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson, and a 2025 class that produced two in Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart, the NFL prayer is that the 2027 group of signal-callers is more like the 2024 version, when there were three taken with the first three picks, six in the top 12, and four legit NFL starters in Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix. Even the relative stragglers (Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy) haven’t run entirely out of road when it comes to their NFL potential.

Ostensibly, the 2027 class looks absolutely ridiculous from a tools and potential perspective. We could have Texas’ Arch Manning, Oregon’s Dante Moore, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker, Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr, and Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby (depending on how Sorsby is affected by recent gambling allegations) all fighting to rest atop next year’s QB draft listings, and there are ways in which each one could do it. Not to mention the fact that there will be a surprise interloper who comes out of nowhere to show NFL potential.

That’s at least eight quarterbacks for NFL teams to consider next year. Of course, we also know that not every sure-thing prospect will ultimately become that even before he’s drafted; we’ve all seen the super-hyped guys fall down when they get hit without a plan.

The idea with this series is to evaluate each of the prominent future prospects with one eye on what they’ve already done, and the other on what they need to do in order to reach their ultimate ceiling.

We’ve already discussed Arch Manning in this space, so let’s move on to Oregon’s Dante Moore. The upcoming junior star began his college career with UCLA in 2023, transferred to the Ducks for a 2024 season in which he mostly sat behind Dillon Gabriel, and got his shot again in 2025. Overall, Moore completed 295 of 412 passes (71.6) for 3,550 yards (8.6 YPA), 30 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a passer rating of 111.8. Then, despite a relatively weak 2026 quarterback class that may have him going Top 5 (or Top 2) in the draft, Moore chose to return school for a fourth NCAA season.

“With this decision, mainly all my life has just been about being as most prepared as I can for any situation I go into,” Moore said on January 14, a few days after Oregon’s 56-22 CFP Semifinal loss to Indiana. “And when it comes to me making my decision, I just want to do what’s best for my situation, especially as a quarterback.

“With my decision, it’s been very tough. I’ve prayed a lot about it, talked to many people — my mentors and people I look up to. With that being said, of course I’ll be coming back to Oregon for one more year, being able to play for the Oregon Ducks and reach our goal and be national champions.”

What would Moore have been as a 2026 prospect, and how will another year in the incubator help him? Let’s get into it.

Dante Moore in the pocket

Last season when throwing from the pocket, Moore completed 261 of 359 passes (72.7%) for 2,989 yards (8.1 YPA (8.3 YPA), 26 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a passer rating of 109.9. Not bad numbers at all, and there’s a lot upon which to build, but the primary issue with Moore as a pocket passer at this point is that he needs to speed up his reads and throws. He struggles to consistently throw with anticipation, and it will behoove him in 2026 to reduce the moving parts — both physically and mentally — to deal with the speed and complexity of NFL defenses. Because things only get faster and more complex where he’s going in 2027.

Moore is a chaos grenade of a quarterback. He thrives on late-in-the-down reaction, and he’s at his best when he can move to one side of the field, cut the reads in half, and use his impressive combination of mobility and arm talent to make some seriously impressive things happen. It’s why he completed 35 of 57 passes (66.0%) outside the pocket for 576 yards (10.9 YPA), four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 127.6. 12 of Moore’s 64 explosive passes last season came from outside the pocket last season, which is a very good rate given the relative infrequency of those throws; it’s also where Moore is most comfortable as a thrower of the football right now.

Moore was pressured on 80 of his attempts last season, completing 46 passes (57.5%) for 639 yards (8.0 YPA), three touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 80.2. When blitzed, Moore completed 102 of 146 passes (69.9%) for 1,411 yards (9.7 YPA), 14 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 118.3. Blitzes with and without pressure force Moore to speed up his clock, as they do for most quarterbacks, and this becomes an advantage in this case. It’s where it becomes clear that Moore has the potential to make quicker and better decisions within the timing of the down.

Going through progressions

Moore is a good field reader in the pure progression sense, where he’s reading openings as opposed to waiting coverages out. It’s a beneficial concept in an NFL where coverage switches are more and more prevalent, especially for a quarterback — like Moore — who needs work on the timing of his reads and throws. Most of the time, he works from left to right, and while he will telegraph his intentions more than you’d like, he’s pretty comfortable for the most part with working 1-2. He could be more conversant with looking defenders off and dictating the action, but you could say that about some credible NFL quarterbacks.

Moore has the base athleticism to be an effective runner — he ran the ball 62 times for 298 yards and two touchdowns last season — but the most important number to consider here is the nine fumbles in 2025. Moore needs to get more consistent with simple things like center snap exchanges, and working with his running backs to ensure proper handoffs. Simple stuff, really, but it looks all too complex when it’s not done well.

Moore could have a bright future as a Baker Mayfield/Jalen Hurts-type quarterback with the ability to define an offense that is designed for him. He isn’t scheme-transcendent — probably won’t ever be — but with another year of development, he could well be NFL-ready with a team that understands and can harness the out of structure stuff. Moore will absolutely need to accelerate the neurons from brain to arm before he hits the NFL, or the NFL will hit back… and often.

If Dante Moore stays put in a developmental sense, he could be in for a rough early go at the professional level. It’s why he was wise to go back to school, and why this upcoming season is of crucial importance — not only for him, but for the 2027 QB class overall.