With Dante Moore's decision to return to Oregon, he'll now have to compete with a different batch of players in order to be the top pick in 2027.
When Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore announced on Wednesday to forego the 2026 NFL draft and return to college for one more season, he was widely lauded for his decision. At the end of the day, he's just 20 years old and has started 20 games in college, two numbers that haven't correlated to much success at the NFL level for quarterbacks in recent history.
In his words, his main goal in playing one more season at Oregon is be more prepared for the next level. With one more season, the hope is that he'll become be that much more refined as a passer, decision maker and leader while seeing another season of coverages, pressures and everything that defenses will throw at him. Experience will be gained, further readying him for the pro level.
But it also comes with a risk.
Moore was widely projected as either the No. 1 or No. 2 prospect in 2026, coming in neck-and-neck with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
The 2027 draft is in roughly 16 months, giving way for many different factors to come into play — one of which being that a player, or players, see a major surge in their draft stock, not unlike Moore in 2025.
These five players will be Moore's biggest contenders for the being the No. 1 pick come 2027, with another group representing those who have the chance to have a meteoric surge with a big 2026 campaign.
QB Arch Manning — Texas Longhorns
Why Manning Could Go No. 1: While the Manning name certainly holds some weight here, as Arch Manning was the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in 2026 despite starting two games for the Longhorns before last season, he does have undoubted talent. He possesses two important physical tools that scouts love while developing two later into the season: arm strength and athleticism while showing moxie and improved decision making as the year progressed. If Manning has a big season, don't be surprised if him and Moore are fighting to be the top pick.
QB Julian Sayin — Ohio State Buckeyes
Why Sayin Could Go No. 1: Widely regarded alongside Moore as the purest passer in college football, Julian Sayin is as accurate as it gets with the football. He does have weapons galore — including the next guy on this list — which may hurt his stock, but so does nearly every quarterback that is going to go first overall. In 2025, Sayin completed 77.0% of his passes and made good decisions with the football aside from a late-season turnover slump. In his second year as a starter, those issues should get worked out of his game and if they do, he's a guy who doesn't have many flaws in his game at all.
WR Jeremiah Smith — Ohio State Buckeyes
Why Smith Could Go No. 1: A wide receiver going first overall is definitely unconventional. But for Jeremiah Smith, who was seen by many as the best player in all of college football as a true freshman as he had a major hand in leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to a national title, that may be a real possibility. If a team that lands the top pick and knows for certain that Smith will turn into a Julio Jones-type of receiver for ten-plus years, that may be enough for someone to pull the trigger on the Buckeye standout.
QB LaNorris Sellers — South Carolina Gamecocks
Why Sellers Could Go No. 1: LaNorris Sellers entered last season with a real chance of being QB1 in the 2026 class. That quickly crumbled due to inaccuracy and a lack of team success, leading to him going back to South Carolina for another season as the starter. For Sellers, it's the physical tools that teams will covet: 6-foot-3, 240-pound, a rocket of an arm and athletic enough to break tackles and accelerate away from defenders. His ceiling may be the highest of all the players in this draft, including Moore — it just depends on if he can show enough improvement with the Gamecocks in 2026 to make teams believe he can reach it.
EDGE Colin Simmons — Texas Longhorns
Why Simmons Could Go No. 1: Edge rusher may seem like an unconventional pick as well, but it isn't as unconventional as one may think. Just four years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars took edge Travon Walker at No. 1. Four years before that, the Cleveland Browns took Myles Garrett at No. 1. Three years before that, Jadeveon Clowney was taken No. 1 overall. If history suggests anything, an edge rusher is due to be selected with the top pick. Colin Simmons is far and away the top edge prospect in this class, as he has the physical tools (6-foot-3, 240-pounds) and production (21 sacks, six forced fumbles in two seasons at Texas) to be a bona fide game-wrecker in the NFL.
The Field
QB Drew Mestemaker — Oklahoma State Cowboys
The nation's leading passer last season while scoring 39 total touchdowns, the former walk-on has had the definition of a meteoric rise. Now the presumed starter for Oklahoma State, if he emulates his 2025 production in the Big 12, there's a chance that he'd put himself in the conversation for the top pick.
QB Josh Hoover — Indiana Hoosiers
We saw what Indiana coach Curt Cignetti did for Fernando Mendoza, putting him in position to go No. 1 in 2026. And while Hoover doesn't have the physical traits, he's already thrown 71 touchdowns in his career and could put up numbers and skyrocket his draft stock with the Hoosiers.
EDGE Dylan Stewart — South Carolina Gamecocks
Right now, Dylan Stewart is all a projection. His 6-foot-5, 245-pound frame suggests that he could be a monster at the next level, but he had just 4.5 sacks last season. If he has a monster season and a team is willing to take an edge rusher at No. 1, Stewart could rise above Simmons as the best at that position.
OT Jordan Seaton — Transfer Portal
Speaking of untraditional, taking an offensive tackle is extremely rare in this day and age. But if Seaton continues to grow as a player and ultimately projects as a multi-time All-Pro as a pass protector and a team like the Tennessee Titans, who have quarterback Cam Ward, land the top pick and don't find a trade suitor — essentially ending up as a perfect storm for Seaton — the current transfer portal tackle would be the choice if he declares.
QB DJ Lagway — Baylor Bears
Speaking of potential, DJ Lagway is right there with Sellers in terms of untapped potential. A change of scenery, as he started a majority of the last two seasons at Florida, could do wonders for his improvement. At 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds with impressive arm strength, Lagway fits the physical bill that teams are looking for.
QB Sam Leavitt — LSU Tigers
Sam Leavitt was seen as a potential 2026 draftee before he suffered a season-ending injury at Arizona State, prompting a transfer to LSU. If he excels in Lane Kiffin's system in the SEC, the talented improvisor could reenter the draft conversation and rise up draft boards.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dante Moore’s competition for the No. 1 pick in the 2027 draft
Category: General Sports
