On Saturday morning of Week 2 of the college football season, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was far and away the favorite to be the first QB off the board in the 2027 NFL Draft.
14 NFL executives and scouts told him so, according to his report, and in a not-so-close second was Texas's starting quarterback, Arch Manning, with 7 NFL franchise representatives voting in his favor.
NFL scouts and execs vote on first QB off the board - Week 2
- Dante Moore, Oregon -- 14 votes
- Arch Manning, Texas -- 7
- LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina -- 2
- Sam Leavitt, LSU, and CJ Carr, Notre Dame -- 1
However, after a few hours and one bad performance against a less-than-mediocre Oklahoma State team, it was impossible to believe that Moore would maintain his position on those draft boards.
While it was only Week 2 and there was still an entire conference schedule ahead of both QB1s, the poor showing by Moore opened the door for Manning to cement himself as the most highly coveted quarterback available in next spring's NFL Draft.
Arch Manning vs. Ohio State could cement him as QB1 in 2027 NFL Draft
Of course, Manning and the Texas Longhorns were taking on the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, a far cry from the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who were unranked and 0-1 when Moore and the Oregon Ducks lost to them.
So, Manning undeniably had an uphill battle at hand and a monstrous defense to try to put on a show against. Yet, the opening was there, and with how Manning closed out his first season as the Horns' starter and opened his second year as Texas's QB1, an opening was all he would need.
In Oregon's 39-31 loss to Oklahoma State, Moore went 14-of-29 (48.3%) for 191 passing yards and two touchdowns through the air. He was sacked four times and lost a total of nine yards on the ground.
It wouldn't exactly be hard for Manning to beat those stats on any given weekend, other than this one, as Texas looked to finally topple a top-ranked Buckeyes team that had previously bested the Longhorns two times in a row.
And, ultimately, there were still 10 regular-season games, possible conference championships, and possible deep runs in the College Football Playoff ahead of both quarterbacks.
However, after Moore and the Ducks looked as shaky as they did against the Cowboys, there should be no surprise if more attention turns in Manning's direction, especially as he leads the Longhorns against some of the best teams in the country.
No. 1 Ohio State and No. 4 Texas were scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT, just a few hours after Oregon's game ended, and the top-four showdown was set to be air on ABC.
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