Dante Moore Opens Up About Mental Health Battle
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore penned a letter to the state governor to seek protection of mental health services after his bout with depression.
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Welcome to the March 20, 2026 edition of the All Access Football Newsletter.
As of this post, we are 34 days away from the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh! The staff at NFL Draft Bible is working feverishly around-the-clock to finish our most complete guide yet! Be sure to reserve your copy for the draft guide used by all 32 NFL teams, including in-depth evaluations from our season-long scouting trails, with notes from training camp, in-season, bowl season, the all-star game circuit, combine, pro day trails and more. In addition, the NFL Draft Bible will also feature background reports, player interviews, verified measurements, projections and everything you need to be the ultimate draftnik come draft time!
In today’s report, we focus on one of the top projected quarterback prospects for the 2027 NFL Draft, in Dante Moore of Oregon. The Ducks signal-caller opened up about his battle with depression and the importance of mental health. It’s a topic that has grown in relevance within the football community and Moore has positioned himself as a leader at the forefront on this issue, more below.
Plan on heading to the ‘Steel City’ to soak up the draft festivities? Hopefully you have already booked your hotel room. The room rates in downtown Pittsburgh are through the roof (literally), as city officials brace for one of the most monumental events they have ever hosted. We have updates on what to expect, along with a look at some of the renovations built amongst the three rivers.
Our stories today were originally produced for Inside The League. For more updates on the scouting and agent community, be sure to subscribe to the ‘Inside Wrap,’ a free newsletter sent out to the football industry every Friday night. You can register for it here.
One last reminder, the All Access Football Draft Watch Show continues to roll on with a look at the wide receivers and tight ends for the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. Don’t miss our positional preview episode, Saturday, March 21, at 10:00am eastern, with hosts Ric Serritella and Russ Lande. Watch it live, or catch the replay on our YouTube channel here.
DANTE MOORE OPENS UP ABOUT BATTLE WITH MENTAL HELTH
In a story that went very much under the radar this week, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore opened up about his battle with mental health issues and how it has impacted his young career. In a letter to Oregon mayor Tina Kotek, the Ducks $7.5M signal-caller wrote, “Early in my college career, I found myself struggling deeply: I was depressed. The pressure and expectations that come with playing quarterback at a high level felt overwhelming at 18. Around that same time, my mother was diagnosed with cancer.”
His mom, Jera Bohlen-Moore was diagnosed with cancer in 2023 during Moore’s first spring at UCLA. She was declared cancer-free in the summer of 2024 but the support that Moore received was notable. His purpose for the letter was to seek the insurance that the state would protect and possibly expand their mental health services.
“In my life, what made the difference was support,” Moore wrote. “Support from my friends, love from my family, and access to the resources I needed to get better. As a young Black man and athlete, reaching out for help can often feel like climbing an uphill battle. It required vulnerability and trust, and I was fortunate to get the care I needed.”
The experience seems to have bring a renowned sense of maturity for Moore, something that he now carries with him on and off the field. “Learning how to care for my own mental health made me a better leader, teammate, and student,” he continued in the letter. “I know what it feels like to struggle in silence. I also know what it feels like to be supported and to come back stronger. That support saved me.” (photo: Oregon Athletics)
NFL DRAFT: NO VACANCY IN STEEL CITY
No Vacancy In Steel City. The 2026 NFL Draft is nearly one month away and Pittsburgh is bracing for what will be the biggest sporting event the city has ever hosted. The NFL is expecting approximately 700,000 fans to pass through downtown during the April 23-25 festivities, testing the limits of the city’s band-with.
The biggest concern as we approach the draft is the lack of hotel rooms, with the average rom rates priced between $650-$1,000 per night, with luxury or close proximity options well over the $2,000 per night range and some rental homes charging upwards of $5,000 per night. However, this doesn’t seem to be a concern for city officials. “We do, in fact, have the capacity to host. Green Bay hosted last year and they are the smallest market of any NFL team,” Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato told Axios.
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor noted the walkability between downtown, the North Side, South Side and Strip districts, making it a bit easier for those on the ‘outskirts.’ “We have the hotels,” he said. “If just thinking about Downtown proper, obviously we don’t have enough hotels, but within the entire region, we do.”
The downtown area has undergone mass renovations in preparation of the event. Upgrades to Point State Park are complete and ready for the draft. Arts Landing construction is on schedule, according to the Culture Trust and a preview of the park is scheduled for March 30. Last year, Green Bay reportedly drew over 600,000 fans during the 2025 NFL Draft. The record for the most fanst to atted the NFL Draft came the previous year in 2024, when over 775,000 fans attended the city of Detroit. (photo: SBJ)
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