Greg McElroy Makes Stance Clear on Big Ten QB Following NFL Draft Decision

ESPN's Greg McElroy ranks Dante Moore No. 2 in college football and lingering questions about his ceiling.

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy breaks down this Big Ten quarterback and explains why he ranks him as the No. 2 signal-caller heading into the 2026 college football season. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore turned down what many believed would be a first-round NFL Draft selection, choosing instead to return to Eugene with something to prove. It was a decision that raised eyebrows across the sport and, by most accounts, left a lot of money on the table.

ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy had plenty to say about that choice on his Always College Football podcast, where he released his top 10 quarterback rankings heading into 2026.

McElroy placed Moore at No. 2, behind only Ohio State's Julian Sayin. The ranking carries real weight, but so did his honest assessment attached to it.

McElroy's case for Moore at No. 2

McElroy did not sugarcoat the full picture. He pointed to Moore's 2025 production, a 70% completion rate and 34 touchdowns, as well as a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance, as evidence of a player operating at a very high level. But he also acknowledged the one thing holding Moore slightly below the conversation's top tier.

"The concerns have really been more about high-level decision-making," McElroy said. "If he's getting hit, is he affected?"

That is a fair and pointed question, but McElroy believes the baseline has been set and the arrow points upward. He called Moore one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in the country and noted that elite traits, arm talent, mobility, football IQ, and the ability to extend plays, show up consistently on film rather than in box scores.

With offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer promoted from within, the system stays largely intact, built on the same foundation that produced decorated passers in Bo Nix and Dylan Gabriel before Moore.

What Year 3 actually means for Moore and Oregon

This is where the opportunity becomes genuinely compelling. Moore enters Year 3 as the unquestioned leader of an offense built to compete for national championships.

Wide receiver Evan Stewart, who missed nearly all of 2025 with a torn patellar tendon, is now healthy and back in the fold. Moore made clear after Oregon's spring game that the bond with his receivers, including the emerging Dakorien Moore, has continued to grow.

Ducks quarterback Dante Moore celebrates during the first half of the Oregon Spring Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In limited spring-game reps, Moore was described as sharp and composed, completing 7 of 11 passes for a touchdown and adding a 21-yard scramble, a sign that the mobility McElroy cited is becoming a more intentional part of his game.

McElroy noted Moore came back to "prove something," and when first-round talents return for that reason, the results tend to be significant.

Moore appears at No. 2 in my top returning college football quarterbacks for the 2026 season.