The Arizona Cardinals could find themselves in a tough position this upcoming draft when it comes to selecting a quarterback in the first round. Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker is emerging as the top quarterback prospect, but has seen his stock rise so drastically to the point where he may not even be an option for the 2-5 Cardinals.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Mestemaker ranked as his top two draft prospects in 2027, while the Cardinals, in all likelihood, will be drafting in that 3-10 range again. That presents Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort with a dilemma, as they desperately need to address the position, but each quarterback prospect after Mestemaker comes with his respective flaws that have been exposed in college this season.
It could surprisingly be Arizona's best bet to take a chance on Dante Moore.
Cardinals could bet on Dante Moore's upside in the draft
The Oregon product is unfortunately out for the remainder of the season after an unnecessarily hard hit to the head against USC. He wasn't even playing well before the injury either. But Arizona could potentially use this down season to its advantage if they still like Moore enough as an NFL prospect after what they saw from him last season.
In 2025, he had 3,565 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also has a solid positional frame at 6-foot-3, which would be a pleasant change for Cardinals fans after the Kyler Murray experience. There's no guarantee that Moore's 2025 season translates to production at the NFL level, but there are similar concerns with just about every other prospect outside of Mestemaker.
Back in August, 25 NFL scouts and executives were polled on who they thought would be the first quarterback selected in the 2027 NFL Draft. Moore was the leading vote-getter at 14, with Manning in second at 7. Mestemaker is the clear-cut favorite now in the updated midseason poll with 17. But it goes to show the ceiling Moore has as someone just months removed from being viewed as the best in the class at his position.
It's that type of upside the Cardinals need to be swinging for to finally address the position once and for all. Better yet, it won't cost as much because of how rough Moore's season has gone. Arizona could even consider trading back a few spots in the draft to pick up additional assets depending on what Moore's value is come draft time, though he's likely still a first-round pick.
There are other quarterback prospects the Cardinals need to continue evaluating as the season progresses. But with the rest of the class struggling and Mestemaker potentially playing himself out of Arizona's range, Moore is someone they need to seriously consider taking a flyer on this upcoming draft.
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