Antwan Staley: Fernando Mendoza vs. Dante Moore and the debate on who should be No. 1 pick

NEW YORK — Fans of the Raiders and Jets could be watching their future quarterbacks in Friday’s Peach Bowl.

Indiana and Oregon will meet in the College Football Playoff semifinals in one of the most significant QB matchups in years.

Indiana Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and Oregon star Dante Moore, the likely two top quarterbacks available in April’s draft, will be on the same field. This game will not only decide who will play in the National Championship on Jan. 19, but maybe who will be the No. 1 overall pick.

The Raiders will have the top pick in the 2026 NFL draft, while the Jets will pick second. This will be the second time Indiana and Oregon have met this season. The Hoosiers defeated the Ducks on the road, 30-20, on Oct. 11.

“Beating a great team twice is extremely difficult,” Mendoza said on “The Pat McAfee Show” earlier this week. “They’re star-studded on both offense and defense. Draft picks all across the board.

“Having to play them twice is going to be tough. It’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

Mendoza has passed every test when it comes to what a top quarterback should look and play like. He has the prototypical size at 6-5, 225 pounds and incredible accuracy and ball placement downfield.

In 14 games after transferring from Cal, Mendoza has passed for 3,172 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions on the way to helping the Hoosiers to their first Big Ten championship since 1967. He was solid in Indiana’s Rose Bowl victory against Alabama in the quarterfinals after completing 14 of 16 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns.

Mendoza’s play resembles that of Jared Goff, whom Jets coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand saw every day while on the Lions’ coaching staff. He is a traditional pocket passer, but Mendoza has enough speed to evade pass rushers.

Unfortunately for them, the Jets may have to settle for whichever quarterback the Raiders pass on.

Schematically, Mendoza would be a perfect fit for the Jets’ offensive system. The Jets under Engstrand focus on a physical, aggressive style that likes quarterbacks to use a blend of RPOs, zone reads and play-action passes.

Mendoza can get the ball out quickly and fire passes over the middle with ease. He is also intelligent enough to recognize that defenses consistently try to attack him pre- and post-snap, and to counter them with his deep-passing ability.

But it’s challenging to know which direction Las Vegas may go in the draft after owner Mark Davis fired coach Pete Carroll after one season.

“There’s still several games to be played and I think these games will be big and have an impact,” Jets general manager Darren Mougey said. “I think there’s a process and every organization is different and in a different situation, but I know that all teams in the NFL are very thorough with their process and have different tastes or liking or needs at their certain spots. It’s always specific to a certain case.

“But yeah, the quarterback evaluation is a full process I think start to finish, with obviously the games being the most important and a lot of that is done, so I understand the questions. But there will be some exciting games here still to watch at the end.”

But if Moore is available with the second overall pick in April’s draft, the Jets could have the quarterback with the highest ceiling. After transferring from UCLA to Oregon and waiting his turn behind Dillon Gabriel, Moore has excelled for the Ducks.

At just 20 years old, Moore is an exceptional talent. He can make any throw on the field and does it in a way that looks effortless. Moore has an excellent combination of football intelligence, touch, ball placement and accuracy, which should help him excel at the NFL level. He has been compared to Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, who has made the playoffs each of his first three seasons in the league.

What also makes Moore special is his athletic prowess. He can beat teams with his legs as well as his arm. Moore can also extend plays inside and outside the pocket, which gives receivers enough time to find open spots in coverage.

In 14 games, Moore has passed for 3,280 yards, 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions. One of the biggest knocks on him is his lack of experience. Moore has started just 19 games during his three seasons. Given his age and lack of starts, Moore could decide to return to Oregon for his redshirt junior season.

Friday is huge for Moore’s draft stock. Mendoza is widely considered to be the top quarterback available.

The first time around against Indiana, Moore struggled, completing 21 of 34 passes for 186 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and was sacked six times. He is also coming off a game against Texas Tech in which he finished with 234 yards and zero touchdowns in the victory.

“I was too fast on my progressions,” Moore said. “There were some times where there was an open guy, and I mean, you can say I was kind of seeing ghosts out there. More of just trying to get through my progressions too fast. And another thing, too, is when I climbed to the pocket, I was trying to rush and get out.”

But given the quarterbacks who could come out in the 2027 draft, this year might present the best chance for Moore to become a top-two pick. Especially in a weak draft class and one with several teams like the Jets, Raiders, Browns and Cardinals, who are looking for a franchise quarterback.

The pre-draft process for both Mendoza and Moore could begin in February ahead of the 2025 NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. However, Friday’s Peach Bowl will unofficially start the debate on who will be the No. 1 overall pick.