Gang Green Nation
Last night was ugly for Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who turned the ball over three times in a blowout loss to Indiana.
Moore is considered a top prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft Fernando Mendoza is likely to go first overall to the Raiders. Moore has been linked with the Jets as a possible option with the second pick. Many Jets fans are now panicked over Moore’s Peach Bowl struggles.
I think there are three big things to remember.
Bowl game performance doesn’t always correlate with NFL success
When a game draws as much attention as the College Football Playoff Semifinal, it’s easy to get carried away with takeaways. Top quarterback prospects are always under the microscope. It is important to put what we saw last night into context. It was one game. Even the greatest prospects have a bad game now and then. Additionally, a team isn’t drafting a prospect solely for who he is now. You draft a quarterback prospect with the idea that he will improve into a franchise passer aided by your team.
Two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson’s final college game saw him throw 4 interceptions and complete 41.9 percent of his passing attempts. Aaron Rodgers’ final college game saw him net only 246 yards on 42 passing attempts in a bowl game where he threw an interception and no touchdowns.
On the flip side. Mark Sanchez threw 4 touchdowns and ran for one in his final college game, a decisive Rose Bowl win over Penn State. Justin Fields had a 6 touchdown explosion in a College Football Playoff Semifinal win over Clemson in the 2021 Sugar Bowl. These performances had many fans and analysts sold that Sanchez and Fields would develop into elite quarterbacks upon arriving in the NFL.
It turns out scouting is more complex than just looking at whether a quarterback did well or poorly in a bowl game.
Moore has displayed flaws that suggest the Jets might not be the best fit for him.
With that said, some of what we saw in the Peach Bowl aligns with preexisting concerns I had about Moore. Despite the overall poor performance, he made some genuinely impressive throws. You could see flashes of why many believe Moore has top end talent.
The bad moments, though? They were really ugly. Moore seemed especially rattled at times when his first read wasn’t open or he was under duress.
These things aren’t terribly uncommon for a quarterback who lacks experience. Last night’s game was only Moore’s 20th college start. By comparison the CFP semifinal was Mendoza’s 35th start.
A quarterback can get more comfortable reading defenses and dealing with pressure over time. It can come with experience.
For all of his ability (which I think is there), Moore strikes me as a fairly raw prospect. He’s still mastering the basics. I’m not sure throwing him immediately onto a fields against NFL defenses and a roster with numerous holes would be the best thing for him. That is almost...
