“I think had Dante Moore entered the draft this year, the Jets probably would have considered him at number two overall.”
—@nfldraftscout on Oregon QB Dante Moore’s skill set and talent level 🏈
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Oregon quarterback Dante Moore reacting in the middle of the spring football game.
The New York Jets missed out on the top quarterback prospects in the 2026 NFL draft.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid projected that the Jets would solve that problem in his way-too-early 2027 mock draft. With the No. 3 overall pick, he predicted that the Jets would select Oregon QB Dante Moore.
“The Jets loaded up on skill position players in last week’s draft, getting tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. in Round 1. But 2027 is a great time to draft a young quarterback. Despite being mocked as a high first-round pick in early 2026 projections, Moore decided to return to school and expand on his 20 career starts. He was one of the best passers in the country last season, finishing with 3,565 passing yards, 30 touchdown passes, and 10 interceptions. He’s a smooth operator but must do a better job of withstanding pressure, as his accuracy tends to wane when defenses hit him early,” Reid explained.
If Moore had entered the 2026 NFL draft, ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller said, “the Jets probably would have considered him at number two overall.”
“I think had Dante Moore entered the draft this year, the Jets probably would have considered him at number two overall.”
—@nfldraftscout on Oregon QB Dante Moore’s skill set and talent level 🏈
They probably would have done a lot more than just consider him. The Jets likely would have taken him, given their QB issues.
Alas, they weren’t meant to be. Moore returned to school, and the Jets ended up taking the best defensive player in the class with Texas Tech’s David Bailey.
Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
One of the concerns with Moore was his limited collegiate experience had he entered the draft. ESPN’s Rich Cimini delivered a very strong warning to the Jets earlier this offseason.
“He is only 20 years old, he has got only 18 college starts, and if you look at the recent first-round quarterbacks with fewer than 20 starts — it is not a promising field. I’ll read some names: Anthony Richardson, Trey Lance, Mac Jones, Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins, Mitch Trubisky, Ryan Tannehill, [and] Cam Newton,” Cimini said on January 8.
“That is going back to 2011. All of the first-round quarterbacks with fewer than 20 college starts. The only star of that group is Cam Newton. Ryan Tannehill had a solid long career. The rest of them [were] either busts or underachievers. So beware of the college quarterback with very few starts,” Cimini explained on the “Flight Deck” podcast.
Now with Moore going back to school, he will add some much-needed experience and starts to his resume. Perhaps in 2027, he will be much better prepared for the NFL level.
Not only would that be good for Moore, but that would be good for the Jets.
The green and white didn’t get the quarterback this offseason. They didn’t sit on their hands either.
They opted to build up the roster so whenever they get that eventual quarterback, they will be ready for him.
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said, “[the Jets are a] very enticing place to go to for a young quarterback.”
He highlighted that they have, “$150 million to spend, 3 First rounders, [a] Good, young, talented OL, [and] Garrett Wilson.”
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, "The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital." Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
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