Dillon Gabriel has started two games for the Cleveland Browns, and while it’s too early to tell whether he’s the quarterback they need to lead the franchise going forward, the returns haven’t been that encouraging.
Fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders reportedly isn’t ready to be the starter, so it looks like the Browns could be trying to get a new quarterback again in the 2026 NFL Draft.
With that in mind, ESPN analyst Jordan Reid recently linked them to Oregon QB Dante Moore.
“Moore was surging up draft boards prior to an underwhelming performance against Indiana, but he is a calm distributor with the arm strength to get the ball to all three levels of the field. His 72% completion percentage ranks ninth in the FBS. Moore has only 11 career starts, but he is primed to be near the top of a QB class filled with question marks. The Browns have plenty of questions of their own under center, as rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders haven’t established themselves as long-term options,” Reid wrote.
The quarterback class of 2026 was projected to be one of the best in years.
Unfortunately, it is not working out that way.
Drew Allar of Penn State underperformed before suffering a season-ending leg injury.
LaNorris Sellers of South Carolina and Arch Manning of Texas are likely to return to college for another year, and not many others have stood out.
Moore, however, is one of the exceptions.
Along with Fernando Mendoza of Indiana, he’s looking like a first-round selection.
Moore was a highly touted high school recruit before a humbling freshman season at UCLA.
He transferred to Oregon, and although he didn’t play much that year behind Gabriel, being on the sidelines looks to have worked wonders for his development.
He’s got an impressive arm, he’s been poised in the pocket, and his decision-making and presnap reads are usually on point.
On the downside, he doesn’t have much experience and could be more consistent on deep throws.
The Browns likely will be closely watching how the rest of the season goes for him and other top QB prospects.
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