Darian Mensah

[Twopointtry]

In the NFLdraftHQ 3-round mock draft, they have the Rams (after winning the Super Bowl) using the last selection in the 2nd round to take quarterback Darian Mensah.

Multiple mocks or boards have Mensah ranked as a 1st round pick. Prior to the 2026 NFL Draft, PFSN suggested that Mensah could be the 4th best QB in the class, behind Dante Moore, Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson. Two of those QBs elected not to enter the draft. PFSN said that if Mensah waited for the 2027 draft, he could be a 1st round pick. A different draft report written by Chris Farbolin was so glowing that it suggested that Mensah could beat out Moore and Manning to become the top overall selection in the 2027 draft. CBSSports reported last December that NFL scouts had Mensah as an early round pick if he had declared for the 2026 draft.

I'm not a big fan of drafting two QBs early in back-to-back drafts. On the other hand, the QB position is so vital, I also don't believe in ever passing on a QB who is a great prospect. The Patriots supposedly had a high grade on Tom Brady (I can't remember exactly, maybe 3rd round?) yet repeatedly passed on him, in part because they already had their franchise QB in Drew Bledsoe. The idea behind drafting Brady was to acquire a QB3 that they could groom and eventually develop into their QB2. They were lucky none of the other NFL teams had any interest in Brady either. When Bledsoe got hurt, I don't think it is an exaggeration to suggest that if Brady hadn't been on the roster, Bill Belichick potentially would have been fired by the Patriots by the end of that season. Just think about it, Belichick was on the hot seat at the beginning of the year and the Pats were 0-2 when Bledsoe got hurt. It wasn't until the Pats played the Rams later in the regular season that Bledsoe was cleared to play, so by that point the Pats might have been toast and on their way to a losing record. Belichick's place in history possibly hinged on that single late round draft decision.

One of the reasons Aaron Rodgers slid in the 2005 draft was because other teams had drafted young QBs in the prior drafts. There was no rookie wage scale at the time, so there were financial reasons for teams not to sink a large salary into a backup QB. The Baltimore Ravens, for example, held slot 22, just 2 picks before the Packers got ARod. The Ravens used an extra 1st round pick to trade up in the 2003 draft to get Kyle Boller. Having invested so much, they didn't want to draft another QB even when ARod fell into their lap. In hindsight, this obviously was a terrible mistake, a franchise changing error. The Ravens had some fantastic defenses, a great OL, good special teams and the offensive skill positions, but Boller wasn't the answer at QB. In 2006, the Ravens traded for Steve McNair. While McNair had a good 2006 season for them, he was at the end of his career and he got injured the following season, so it was only a very short-lived solution. The following draft, the Ravens traded up to get Joe Flacco. If the Ravens had just drafted ARod when they had the chance, not only would they have gotten a better QB, but they could have saved all of the picks they used to get McNair and Flacco and directed those resources elsewhere.

Favre "retired" after 2007, though he later tried to change his mind during training camp. The Packers balked and traded him to the Jets. Something the media and fans have mostly forgotten is it wasn't clear how much the Packers were sold on ARod. The Packers potentially could have won the Super Bowl in 2007, but they were upset in the NFC title game by the Giants in OT. The Giants won 3 straight playoff road games, then upset the Patriots in the SB to complete an unlikely and surprising run to the trophy. ARod inherited a pretty stacked roster, including an extremely strong WR room. Even so, the Packers only went 6-10 in ARod's first year as the starter, missing the playoffs.

If the Packers had been very confident in ARod entering that 2008 season, then why did they draft 2 QBs in the 2008 draft? Even more, why didn't they lock ARod up with a new contract? It wasn't until the middle of the 2008 season that ARod and GB came to terms on his 2nd contract to keep him with the team. Early in the 2nd round, the Rams drafted Donie Avery. Shortly after that, the Packers got Jordy Nelson. Typical Rams. Getting Nelson would become vital to ARod's success in GB. The Pack had an extra pick in the 2nd round due to a player trade. They used that selection on Brian Brohm, a QB from Louisville. Some experts predicted that Brohm would beat out ARod and become GB's starter. Near the very end of the draft, the Packers added Matt Flynn, a lightly regarded prospect from LSU. This seemingly "wasted" pick proved to be valuable, because Flynn ended up becoming a reliable backup behind ARod and if it weren't for an underrated rookie named Russell Wilson beating Flynn out in Seattle, Flynn presumably would have been the starting QB during the Legion of Boom dynasty Seahawk teams.

Teams might think they know what they have at QB but few things in life are as certain and clear as they appear. Ozzie Newsome and Bill Belichick have strong claims for being 2 of the greatest player personnel minds in the history of the league, so why didn't they make different decisions in the draft when it came to Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady? Why were they "wrong" about those QB prospects?

If both Ty Simpson and Darian Mensah were on the Rams, which one would be the eventual successor to Stafford? If they were in the same draft class, which one merits getting picked higher? Would it be a wasted pick to get Mensah at the bottom of the 2nd round or would it be one of the best picks in Snead's career as a GM?

 

[Memento]

We'll see how Mensah does at Miami. He did well enough at Duke, definitely outplayed his team, but he wasn't exactly "elite" or "can't miss" there. I didn't put him in the first round as far as QBs went; he would've been behind Mendoza, Simpson, Dante Moore, Jayden Maiava, and Trinidad Chambliss, had they all come out. If he does well at Miami, leads them to another run, I could see it. Hell, I could see them win it all; I like Mensah tons more than Carson Beck as a quarterback (but then again, Beck was undraftable for me because of his overall assholery - and even talent-wise, I didn't see a third-round pick at all; even a fifth-round selection would've been generous).

Malachi Toney is still there, and is a year more experienced and grown. Defense should be outstanding as well, with Ahmad Moten Sr., Justin Scott, Marquise Lightfoot, Damon Wilson, and Armondo Blount all on the embarrassment of riches that is Miami's D-line.

But yeah, the arm accuracy is there. His intermediate throws to the sidelines aren't; they tend to die there, and he's very slight. Very concerning when you put both in, and adding fumbles to that list.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 1: Background

Name, Age: Darian Mensah, turns 22 in January of 2027. Redshirt Junior in 2026 for Miami, Florida. Tulane 2023 and 2024. Duke in 2025. Academic all conference.

Size, estimated speed: Listed 6'3'' tall and 205 pounds by Miami. DraftBuzz 4.75 seconds in 40. Brian Bosarge 4.75 to 4.84 seconds in 40. Draftscout 4.76 seconds in 40.

3-star recruit from San Luis Obispo, CA. Had 69% completion rate as SR in HS. His twin sister played college soccer for Oregon and transferred to Miami to play soccer, joining him at his new school for 2026. His only scholarship offers out of HS were from Idaho State, Lindenwood and Tulane.

Redshirted in 2023. If you follow the draft, you probably remember that Michael Pratt was Tulane's starting QB in 2023. Many draft experts saw Pratt as a Day 2 pick, but he wasn't taken until late in the 7th round. Pratt wasn't able to stick on an NFL roster. Team captain in 2025. I was unable to find any info about major injuries for Mensah.

Messy departure from Duke, because after signing a new NIL deal and initially looking like he was staying at Duke instead of going to the NFL or to a new school, he changed his mind and decided to enter the portal to leave for Miami. Duke filed a lawsuit against him, alleging breach of contract. The parties reached a negotiated settlement.

2024 (13 starts): 189/287, 65.9% completions, 2,723 yards (209.5 YPG), 22 TDs, 6 INTs, 17 sacks, 60-132-1 rushing, 4 fumbles, 2 lost
2025 (14 starts): 334/500, 66.8% completions, 3,973 yards (283.8 YPG), 34 TDs, 6 INTs, 27 sacks, 59-(-32)-1 rushing, 8 fumbles, 4 lost

DraftBuzz: 3rd round projection, 7th QB, 85th overall. (+) Accurate, touch, processing and timing. (-) Only 205 pounds, average arm, ball dies on longer throws, high number of turnover worthy plays, too many fumbles. Developmental backup with starter upside, a Day 3 QB.
PFSN 73 overall, 6th QB: (+) Potential 1st round QB with starter potential. Stellar production, efficient distributor, great processor, field vision, quick trigger, anticipatory passer, smooth off-platform throws, excellent platform freedom, pace and touch, solid arm, nimble pocket mobility, twitchy. (-) Frenetic and inconsistent vs pressure, drifts back in pocket, decision making vs pressure, non-elite arm, inconsistent, average creative threat, response to pressure needs major work, pocket navigation.
Brian Bosarge: (+) Ball placement, rare touch, pinpoint accurate at all 3 levels, played in 2 completely different offensive systems, vision, poise in pocket, effortless mechanics, stands tall in pocket. (-) Not a dual threat, improvisational skills.
PFF big board: 69th overall, 8th QB. High turnover worthy play rate, 16 career fumbles.
NFLMDD sim 16th overall, 6th QB
Drafttek 27 overall
Ian Cummings mock: 70th overall, 3rd round.
Shane Hallam mock: 32nd overall, 1st round. the 6th QB. [Hallam's mock has 9 QBs taken in the first 2 rounds.]
Draftscout: Day 2. Has a big arm.
Sam Teets: 2nd round tier, 33rd overall. Surprisingly chaotic QB. (+) Ball placement to WR's leverage, consistent mechanics, quick enough to extend plays, lacks a rocket arm but hits WRs in stride. (-) Turnovers, lapses in vision, tends to hold ball.
Travis May mock: 2nd round, 39 overall.
NFLdraftHQ mock: 2nd round, 64th overall to the Los Angeles Rams.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 2: Strengths

Mensah has 4 key traits that I feel are big selling points for him as a prospect. Let's go through each of them, one at a time. I feel that experts typically evaluate QBs based on size, arm strength, running ability and turnover rate. Mensah isn't truly elite in any of those categories. To understand why some NFL GMs might still like this player, I want to highlight some of his less obvious characteristics.

Mental processing in pro-style offense. For purposes of the Rams, I bet some experts are watching tape from the wrong season. The more interesting season to watch isn't 2025 with Duke, it is the 2024 season with Tulane. In 2024, Tulane hired a new OC named Troy Craddock. He's the new QB coach for Florida. Tulane used quite a bit of pistol formation and outside zone run plays, but importantly for considering Mensah's fit with our team, Tulane's system that year had pro-style formations, groupings, pre-snap motion and route concepts that essentially were Sean McVay inspired. Despite being a 1st year starter and a young QB, Mensah did a good job reading the progressions on those pro-style passing plays. Mensah played in a spread system offense at Duke. It would be a mistake to think of him as only a "spread system QB". His Duke tape shows a QB making NFL type decisions and throws inside of a spread system offense. That is not normal. I've watched many spread system QBs over the years. Mensah's understanding of the type, shape, timing and placement of the throw is more "mature" than a typical spread QB and his time at Tulane possibly helps explain why he's more pro-ready than an average QB prospect.

Shines on 4th downs. The second thing I'll mention up front is Mensah is uncommonly cool in the most pressure packed situations of the game. He's not fazed by big moments. Even if the play breaks down a little, he doesn't panic or get rushed, he responds appropriately and executes. On a game winning drive in the final minute, made some smart game-management decisions like checking the ball down to get yards short of the sticks. Kept his cool on 4th down play in OT. Joe Montana type calm.

Does the early work inside the pocket. The 3rd trait that will get the attention of NFL scouts is Mensah has a natural feel for subtle pocket movements to optimize limited space in the pocket and to buy a split second more time to throw. If the pocket gets deformed, he keeps his eyes downfield but with his peripheral vision he can feel the distortion and he'll re-center himself. If you pay close attention to his feet, sometimes he makes a very small step to the side just before he begins the windup and those tiny adjustments help him get the pass off cleanly. Even some 1st round draft prospects have a poor sense of how to properly do this, they must be taught after they enter the pros. Others have poor pocket awareness and unless they drop their eyes and look at the pass rush, they don't even realize the OL is getting pushed back into them.

His 4th trait that I think is important for an NFL QB is he's very composed inside of a collapsing pocket. He will stand tall and deliver even in heavy congestion, sometimes delivering very accurate passes into small windows.

Some great NFL-level plays on his tape. Quick one-step slide to the left to find passing window, partnered with great anticipation, accuracy and touch on sword concept. Good field vision and anticipation on wheel route. Quickly processes the correct route to target, pretty reliable recognizing the coverage and staying on schedule. I felt he improved in this area, because in 2024 there were times he looked like a FR and didn't read the progression on schedule. One play, he recognized blitz coming pre-snap and appeared to adjust the RB's pass blocking assignment to account for the blitzer. Full field progression read, checked it down right on schedule to the RB. The LT is beaten inside, QB moves to his left to escape the sack, resets his feet, keeps his shoulders loaded as he climbs forward in the pocket, then as he gets toward the front of the pocket delivers accurate intermediate pass over the middle, 20 yards downfield.

This was my single favorite play on his tape: There is pressure from the DT up the middle. QB takes a quick hop to his left just before releasing the pass. His read of the zone coverage and timing is perfect, shaping the ball so that it drops into a small zone void for a completion. That is outstanding, like a Tom Brady play, the mental part, the feet in the pocket, the mechanical execution of the throw all blended together in a single play to beat a compact zone that you might see in a pro game. Plays like that translate to Sundays.

His mechanics and play execution aren't always pretty, but normally effective. I'd like to critique his throwing motion and decision making more but if the pass is still completed, you can't be too hard on him.

Throws the ball with touch and has solid accuracy. Dropped dime on 20-yard TD pass. Beautiful 35-yard dime to the sideline from the far hash. Outstanding touch and accuracy on 26-yard TD, right on the hands of the WR. Good touch on 30-yard TD.

Able to quickly load and release for off-platform throws after run fakes. On WR screens, makes ARod type off-platform flips to get the ball out quickly. Natural and comfortable throwing without a solid base. Manipulates his arm angle to keep passes from getting deflected at the LOS and to hit moving targets going horizontally across the field.

Pretty accurate over the middle of the field. Has guts, will drive passes into small windows to beat man coverage and thread the ball between zone defenders. Very precise ball placement on intermediate crosser with the CB trailing closely behind the WR, beating the tight coverage without creating a contested catch situation. Against zone coverages, understands how to throw the pass with proper leverage to not throw the WR into hits and fit the ball into small zone voids.

Occasionally was under center at Tulane. Efficient strides dropping back. Body and helmet are balanced at the top of his drop, shoulders level. Keeps shoulders throw-ready as he moves around inside the pocket or when climbing forward. Ball has a clean spiral out of his hand. Appropriate weight on short dump off throws to the flat, making them easier to catch.

Nearly had an INT when the WR didn't work back to the QB to defend the catch point from the CB.

Enough suddenness to escape sacks and extend the play outside of the pocket. Creative off-script, finds open targets as he rolls out. While not much of a threat with his legs, generally makes sound decisions on when to scramble vs when to throw on the run. Doesn't have enough speed to scare the defense but has sufficient acceleration to gain yards if he sees open space to run. Good decision to pedal out the back of the pocket, then turn upfield and won race to the corner pylon to score a TD.

Does a nice job finding his checkdown in the progression. Patiently lets routes develop, then as the defense gets stretched uses the underneath checkdown to gain easy yardage.

Low career sack rate relative to number of passing attempts. Some of the sacks he absorbed were due to WR or OL failures. Has had a high completion rate each of the last 3 seasons he's been a starter, going back to his final season in HS. Normal age for draft prospect. Doesn't appear to have a long injury history. The 2026 season will be his 3rd full season as a starter, so should be very experienced.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 3: Weaknesses

I don't like his interview. He's not good at reading the room and giving professional answers to softball questions where all he has to do is give a canned, prepared response. He didn't play in Tulane's bowl game, because he entered the portal. He had a flaky departure from Duke. So, there are signs that he might be somewhat self-centered and not the most team-oriented personality. Will he accept a backup role if he doesn't win the starting job in the NFL? Does he have the right character to be the franchise QB and set the tone to be the team's leader?

I agree with Sam Teets when he said that Mensah's tape is surprisingly chaotic. His tape is bizarre. In his worst games and on his worst plays, I have Mensah graded as an UDFA prospect. He's not just average, at his worst he's flat out bad. If Mensah were on the Rams for 2026, it wouldn't shock me if at the end of the preseason, McVay decided he liked Stetson Bennett better and waived Mensah. As a 1st round pick, there is a boom or bust risk with Mensah. The large gap between his best plays and his worst plays is alarming.

Just off the top of my head, I went through the list of the last 6 drafts, and I count at least 15 QBs taken late, including the very end of the 7th round, who were arguably better prospects than the "bad" version of Mensah. Brock Purdy is one of those guys. We're not talking about how those players have done in the NFL, I mean how they played while in college. I included Stetson Bennett on this list. I didn't like Bennett. I thought it was a big reach when the Rams drafted him. Even so, there's a reasonable case to be made that Bennett coming out of UGA was a better pro prospect than Mensah. If the Rams just want a backup QB, why draft Mensah? Some of those other guys will be floating around as street FAs or on practice squads, they can be had for dirt cheap just as a one-year stop gap. There might be more than 15 QBs, but a few of the others I never studied and don't know much about them.

Below-average arm for NFL level, Mac Jones level weak. A 45-yard pass died like a dead duck. Another 45-yard pass hung up in air, underthrown. A 3rd 45-yard pass was terribly underthrown, becoming an INT instead of a TD. 40-yard bomb had just okay velocity. Had to strain off-platform to make 35-yard pass. His mediocre arm ruined a potential long TD pass. Moving to his left, 30-yard pass lacked zip. Passes outside the numbers from the far hash lack velocity. Limited arm strength prevents him from driving the ball into tight zone voids to beat the coverage. Weak arm contributed to near INTs when he tried to challenge tight coverage in intermediate area of the field. Had to load up for 30-yard pass outside numbers from middle of the field. On 30-yard pass from far hash, instead of leading the WR to the end zone corner pylon, the pass was so badly underthrown that it became a backshoulder fade. Ugly INT on underthrown pass 22 yards downfield, QB rolling to his right.

Doesn't have sound, repeatable mechanics, more of a "feel" QB. Like a basketball shooter who can get in rhythm and get hot, then suddenly go cold, Mensah's accuracy can come and go. Sometimes, he's erratic and frequently air mails passes too high. Some high misses force difficult catches by the WR. Scatter shot accuracy can result in the ball being placed on the wrong side of the CB. His WR, Cooper Barkate, saved his bacon on some off target passes, making difficult catches.

Reckless decisions, throwing the ball into danger, forcing it into tight coverage, even throwing across his body back to the middle of the field. Retreats way behind the LOS, out the back of the pocket to try to escape sacks, risking huge loss of yardage. Took sack and intentional grounding penalty on plays where he could have thrown it away without the loss of yardage. Head writes checks that his arm can't cash. Bad INT trying to throw to the sideline from the far hash. Sometimes turns down multiple underneath targets on the same play.

Ball on edge of FG range, 2nd down. The pivot route by the slot WR is open, QB holds the ball and climbs pocket, strip sack instead of a 1st down completion.

Floated outlet passes, leading the RB into defenders.

Undisciplined, non-textbook footwork, particularly in quick game. Neither his feet nor his shoulders are properly aligned on quick throws. On quick throws to the left, he flips it out like a frisbee. On throws to the right side of the field, he leans back almost like a basketball player shooting a fade-away jumper. Has a "by the seat of his pants" style. His left shoulder flies open super early on some quick throws.

On a WR screen on 4th down, QB throws a baseball wild pitch, the ball bounces almost 2 yards wide of the WR and a yard short, like a pitcher throwing the ball into the dirt before it even reaches home plate. That's one of the worst passes I've ever seen.

Gets toesy when climbing the pocket or moving to his right, like Zac Wilson. I don't understand why his footwork is clean and nice if he slide steps to his left but so awkward and messy if he steps to his right.

Should an NFL QB coach try to "fix him" by changing his crazy mechanics or just let him be? Will you mess him up even more if you fiddle with his footwork and upper body mechanics?

While he's twitchy and light on his feet, also has happy feet with excessive and unnecessary movement. Nervous flinches inside the pocket vs pressure. Sometimes throws off balance off his back foot vs interior pass rush pressure. Occasionally will leave clean pockets. His happy feet with unnecessary steps result in him throwing off balance on some attempts, resulting in errors in distance control and accuracy. Fades away unnecessarily. Doesn't have great upper body flexibility while throwing on the move, sometimes jumps up in the air to throw.

Maybe Mensah is 6'3'' tall, but he has a slight build, so on the field he plays as if he's only about 6'2'' or 6'1'' tall. He doesn't play like a tall QB. Doesn't have a strong lower half to withstand jostling and contact inside the pocket.

Not an elite runner. Good enough to scramble from time to time, but nothing that's going to scare NFL defenses. Average short area burst. Not overly explosive and lacks run strength, doesn't finish runs with authority, wants to slide.

Needs to cover the ball up with 2 hands in traffic. Not attentive enough to ball security when getting sacked.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

4th round grade. Cade Klubnik (4th round 2026, NY Jets, Clemson).

At one time, Klubnik was commonly mocked as the top overall pick for the 2026 draft. A PFSN mock had him 1 overall. A CBSSports mock sent him to the Rams in the 1st round. Another mock by SBN had Klubnik at one, with the Rams getting Mendoza at QB at 12 and Carnell Tate at 27. Wouldn't that have been something? Mendoza and Tate both went in the top 4. Klubnik's draft stock cratered after a disappointing 2025 season. LZ only gave him a 6th round draft projection. Since Klubnik is a rookie, we don't know yet if he'll be good or not in the pros.

I found Darian Mensah to be a very challenging player to grade. At his best, he has some qualities that remind me of Deshaun Watson. Mensah's OC at Tulane actually helped coach Watson at Clemson as a grad assistant. At Mensah's worst, he might not even be as good a prospect as Kevin Jennings, the SMU QB, who likely will be an UDFA. Maybe I took the easy way out, but instead of giving him a 1st round grade or an UDFA grade, I split the difference and put him where Klubnik was taken, in the 4th round.

Mensah is an example of why I don't feel the 2027 draft class is really as stacked at QB as most experts say it is. I think some of the highly ranked QBs are overrated and others might elect to stay in school and won't enter the draft.