Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore received a warning from veteran analyst Dan Patrick ahead of the 2026 NFL draft. Moore is widely considered the No. 2 quarterback in the upcoming draft, right behind Indiana Hoosiers’ Fernando Mendoza.
Unless something extraordinary happens, Mendoza will go No. 1 overall in April, with Moore following him. The New York Jets will likely land a new quarterback after the Justin Fields experiment didn’t work out.
Amid a heavy criticism, the Jets don’t look like an appealing destination for many prospects. Patrick denied that notion on Friday, noting that the Raiders aren’t much different from the Jets and people aren’t telling Mendoza to avoid the AFC West team.
“I don’t see these kids going, ‘Hey, I don’t wanna play for the Jets.’ At some point, the Jets will be a decent team, competitive team,” Patrick said. “Might not be in my lifetime, but I’m just saying that there will be a moment where the Jets can actually be formidable… But Dante Moore, I haven’t seen enough of him where I go, boy, that guy can’t miss, … but going to the Jets, going to the Raiders.
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“I mean, nobody’s saying to Fernando Mendoza, hey, don’t go to the Raiders. Well, the Raiders are just as much of a mess as the Jets are. The Raiders had the worst offensive line in football. You don’t even know if Ashton gentIe is going to be great. You know, Bowers will be and you might trade Max Crosby. So what do you got.” (2:40)
Despite being in the search for a head coach again, the Raiders are seen in a worse light than the Jets.
Stephen A. Smith exhorted Dante Moore to avoid playing for Jets
ESPN’s analyst Stephen A. Smith sent a strong message to Dante Moore on Tuesday, telling the prospect to return to college if that meant he would avoid playing for the Jets.
Smith’s words didn’t sit well with many, including Jets’ wide receiver Garrett Wilson. He doubled down on his initial criticism, labeling the Jets as a terrible organization and even urging Wilson to force his way out of MetLife Stadium.