It’s rarely too early for an NFL mock draft. Despite the 2025 regular season being just a few weeks old, CBS Sports’ Mike Renner has continued to turn out new mocks. On Wednesday, Renner predicted a new signal-caller in Dante Moore to land with the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first round.
Moore was the fourth quarterback off the board in Renner’s latest mock. Renner projected the Steelers to select the Oregon signal-caller at No. 12 overall.
“Moore has been the breakout star at the quarterback position this season,” Renner wrote. “After starting his career at UCLA, Moore sat behind Dillon Gabriel last year. In four games this season, his arm talent and athleticism are on full display. He’s averaging over 10.0 yards per attempt so far.
“If he continues to impress this weekend against Penn State, Moore could even soar higher than this.”
Based on the stat line, it’s hard to disagree with Renner’s assertion that Moore is a breakout star this season. In four games, Moore has completed 74.7% of his passes for 962 yards. Along with his 10.1 yards per pass average, he is posting 240.5 passing yards per game with 11 touchdowns and one interception.
Moore is also averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Due to the breakout start to the 2025 season, Moore has made quite a leap on 2026 NFL draft rankings. On Renner’s pre-season mock, Moore was not a first-round pick.
In that mock draft released on August 27, Renner projected the Steelers to select Oklahoma’s John Mateer. In his new mock draft, Mateer landed with the New York Jets at No. 7 overall.
Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 and Garrett Nussmeier at No. 4 were the other quarterbacks off the board ahead of Moore in Renner’s new mock draft.
Could Steelers Select Oregon QB Dante Moore?
While it’s never too early for an NFL mock draft, it’s difficult to make projections for the next draft this early for many reasons.
Obviously, it’s not clear yet how high the Steelers will be selecting in the first round. There’s also more than three-quarters of the 2025 campaign remaining. Every NFL team’s needs can still change.
But it’s rather clear the Steelers are going to need to draft another quarterback next year. Aaron Rodgers only signed a one-year contract in June. Rodgers has also indicated he plans to retire after 2025.
The Steelers could have a shot at one of the top signal-callers in the class if they finish below .500 for the first time under Mike Tomlin. Or, the team could use its plethora of draft picks to move up the board.
It’s not clear which scenario played out in Renner’s mock draft. But regardless of how, the Steelers landed Moore in the mock.
Moore began his college career at UCLA, where he received significant playing time as a freshman. But after 2023, he transferred to Oregon.
With the Ducks, Moore didn’t play much last season. But he’s now stepped into the starter role and helped Oregon get off to a fast start.
How Moore performs versus Penn State on Saturday could greatly influence Oregon’s 2025 season and his draft stock next spring.
Projecting Steelers QB Depth Entering 2026 Offseason
Rodgers isn’t 100% retiring after the 2025 season. He could change his mind and try to return to the Steelers for 2026. That’s one of the unknown factors pundits have to project to put together mock drafts this early.
Barring a significant change, quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Will Howard will be back in 2026. Neither one is predicted to be Pittsburgh’s next franchise quarterback.
Rudolph could be a placeholder early in 2026. Whoever the Steelers add behind center next offseason may also have to compete with Howard.
But if the Steelers select a quarterback in the first round, that rookie will be viewed as the team’s future. Moore is likely to be on the list of possibilities if he continues to play well.
