Dante Moore’s 2026 NFL Draft decision creates an unfortunate domino effect for the Bengals
Oregon’s Dante Moore is staying in school, and the NFL Draft ramifications are notable.
The 2026 NFL Draft is still over three months away, but the Cincinnati Bengals and every other team is now aware of which underclassmen will enter the draft. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, a projected top-five pick, is opting to stay in school.
Moore announced Wednesday afternoon he will return for a third season with the Ducks. His decision comes days following Oregon’s College Football Playoff Semifinal loss to No. 1 Indiana. Moore threw for 285 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the Ducks’ 56-22 defeat.
There were only three players ahead of Moore in A to Z Sports’ 2026 NFL Mock Draft Database. His decision has ramifications for several teams picking just under the top of the draft order, including the Bengals.
Dante Moore returning to Oregon can impact who the Bengals draft
There have only been a handful of years this century in which Cincinnati was targeting a quarterback in the NFL Draft. The 2026 draft is not going to be any different from the norm with Joe Burrow locked in for a few more years.
The Bengals (almost) always want quarterbacks to be selected ahead of them so as many non-quarterbacks as possible remain on the board when they’re on the clock. This year, they hold the No. 10 pick, so they will want as many QBs to be drafted from picks No. 1-9.
Barring a trade back, which Cincinnati hasn’t conducted in the first round since swapping first-round picks with the Buffalo Bills in 2018 via the Cordy Glenn trade, the Bengals will be looking at 10 non-QBs on their board. The more QBs go off the board, the larger that group of 10 will be by the time the they’re up to pick.
Moore passing on the draft this year means there’s a greater chance another one of the Bengals’ 10 non-QB targets will be drafted ahead of them. He’s just one player, but this is about as significant of draft news as there is in the middle of January.
The final deadline for players to declare for the draft will come after the College Football Playoff National Championship, a showdown between Indiana and Miami on Monday night. Players from both schools can play in the game before officially deciding whether or not to enter the draft. Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza is the favorite to go No. 1 in the draft to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Cincinnati will be hoping for more QBs to follow Mendoza, but Moore will not be a part of that group.
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