Steelers Now
It’s been an eventful start to the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and while the early struggles of the league’s highest-paid defense remain a concern, the biggest long-term question mark remains at the quarterback position. The organization knows this, further made clear by their scouting presence early this fall and reluctance to relinquish any of their prized draft capital that they may need in a trade-up scenario down the line.
When it comes to the 2026 quarterback class, “potential” was the key word that came to mind because it profiled as a group that was clearly talented, but there wasn’t a consensus top guy or even group of first-rounders. Unfortunately, as it pertains to the signal callers, there hasn’t been a lot to get excited about over the first few weeks of the college football campaign, with guys like Arch Manning struggling mightily out of the gate and others like Francisco Mendoza facing a cupcake schedule to begin the year.
If there’s one thing that we know about the scouting process, it’s that there’s usually one guy that rises out of relative obscurity to the green room of April’s NFL Draft. Joe Burrow is perhaps the most notable example, but even Cam Ward, last year’s number one overall selection, falls in this same bucket. Over the first three weeks, the gunslinger that looks prime for a significant leap in stock is Oregon’s Dante Moore, who has thrown seven touchdowns while averaging 10.3 yards per attempt, helping lead the Ducks to a 3-0 start.
The former five-star recruit has taken a windy collegiate path, originally attending UCLA, where he started the majority of his freshman season. Amidst coaching turnover, Moore took his talents to Eugene, knowing that he would have to sit and learn behind Dillon Gabriel before taking the reins in 2025. So far, it looks like his patience has paid off in a big way.
Moore is obviously very physically talented, but after diving into the film, I realized that there’s quite a bit of substance, in addition to the flash to his game. Let me explain.
This third-down rep in the two-minute drill against Northwestern was the play that officially piqued my interest. Aligned in the gun, Moore is initially working a sail concept to the front side versus a cover-3 look; he quickly spots the flat defender gaining depth in his pedal and starts to work his eyes to the backside dig. It’s pretty rare for college quarterbacks to be able to operate a full field progression in rhythm and on time regardless of opponent. This is a strike right down the hash to move the chains.
Oregon QB Dante Moore getting to the backside dig on third & long. pic.twitter.com/pGecX2OsZZ
— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) September 15, 2025
Oregon finds themselves in another third-and-long situation a few plays later, and they dial up a dagger concept versus a Tampa-2 coverage. The right tackle gives up a relatively short corner, but Moore responds perfectly, stepping up...
