It's only January. In the heart of the NFL postseason, wins matter for teams just as much as college football impacts the stars of tomorrow. The same can be said for Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore, who has left a potential door open to return to Eugene next fall.
But for longtime NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., easily turning the mental and emotional scouting bandwidth off is easier said than done. This is especially the case for Moore, who is in a challenging position after his team was eliminated Friday from the College Football Playoff by the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl, 56-22.
Kiper Jr. Told The New York Post there is a calculated risk for Moore to go to the NFL, especially if he falls to the New York Jets, who are still in an ongoing rebuild after missing the playoffs every year since 2010-2011.
Is Dante Moore's NFL team inevitable?
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Whether they should draft him, though, is a must according to Kiper Jr.
"You have to, but you gotta handle him properly," Kiper Jr. Said. "You’re drafting him based on traits and talent. You can’t have him thrown to the wolves. You gotta get that personnel to where it needs to be, and you gotta get some weapons around him, and you gotta allow him some time to grow into that position."
From a personal standpoint, Kiper Jr. Isn't one to criticize what a college athlete, much less a high-profile quarterback of Moore's ceiling, should do. But, from Moore's standpoint alone, one huge pro outweighs multiple cons should Moore return to school.
"I think the more you play in college, the better off you are," Kiper Jr. Said. "They don’t grade on a curve, you’re getting graded as a rookie like you’re an eight-year veteran, so you’ve gotta be ready for that scrutiny, that criticism, all that hate that comes your way. In my opinion, you gotta figure it out at a very high level in college."
More: What's next for Dante Moore? Oregon QB faces NFL decision after CFP loss to Indiana
Should Dante Moore not rush NFL dreams?
Kiper Jr. Predicts Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoz a to be selected No. 1 overall, leaving a path for Moore to still be an early selection.
"I would say Dante Moore is a risk worth taking with the second pick based on obviously what they need," Kiper Jr. Said of the Jets."You’re in a division with Josh Allen and Drake Maye. Dante Moore is a heckuva quarterback prospect, there’s no question about it. You gotta beat the odds a little bit with Dante, because that number of starts isn’t the number you prefer, and history tells us when you have those low number of starts has not bode well for those quarterbacks."
Whether they are going to, or have the opportunity to, is a big unknown.
Only time will tell.
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