The Arizona Cardinals are staring down a rebuild, and one way-too-early look at the 2027 NFL Draft projects exactly where the bottom of the standings could take them.
Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department released its initial 2027 mock draft, and it has the Cardinals selecting with the first overall pick Miami Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah.
Bleacher Report Mocks Darian Mensah to the Cardinals at No. 1
The choice says as much about the class as it does about Arizona. While Texas’ Arch Manning has been the early obsession in draft circles thanks to name recognition, Bleacher Report has Mensah, a projected Heisman Trophy finalist, as the top quarterback entering the 2027 cycle.
“Mensah is a poised, accurate, and mentally tough passer, who has elevated his game in each of his last two programs,” Bleacher Report scout Parson said. “Mensah isn’t afraid of big moments and is a proven winner with lesser talent around him.”
Parson also pointed to the tools that could push Mensah up boards once he’s surrounded by Miami’s talent.
“At Miami, the 21-year-old will have a supporting cast allowing his game to flourish and potentially perform on college football’s biggest stages,” Parson said. “He’s a precision passer, completing nearly 68 percent of his attempts, while having plus-level mobility to break a defense’s back on key downs as a scrambler.”
Mensah went from a lightly recruited three-star to a productive run at Tulane, then broke Duke’s single-season passing records in 2025 with 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns against just six interceptions, taking ACC Newcomer of the Year honors before transferring at the eleventh hour to Miami for 2026.
What a Darian Mensah Pick Would Mean for the Cardinals’ QB Room
For Arizona, the projection reflects a franchise still searching at the game’s most important position.
It goes without saying the Cardinals as sitting at a crossroads, with two veteran quarterbacks better suited as backups and a recent third-round pick in Carson Beck who should probably start. Nevertheless, Jacoby Brissett currently sits atop the depth chart, with Gardner Minshew and Beck behind him.
Here’s the twist that jumps out, though. Both Beck and Mensah will be former Miami quarterbacks in 2027. Arizona already spent a pick on one Hurricanes passer, and this mock has them adding another with the No. 1 selection.
That being said, if any of this were to happen, it would create quite the interesting quarterback competition in the desert. Beck’s interception against Indiana cost the Hurricanes on a game-winning drive in last year’s national championship game. Mensah’s addition to Miami this year has them projected to make another run in the College Football Playoff.
Of course, none of this is close to reality yet. It’s an extremely early 2027 mock, one that assumes Arizona bottoms out in 2026 and lands the top pick. Things are at least a bit more hopeful after the Cardinals first two preseason games against the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders.
There’s also the fact that Mensah still has a full season at Miami to prove he’s worthy of the top pick.
Plenty can change before the Cardinals are ever on the clock.
Nevertheless, Arizona is rebuilding, its quarterback future is unsettled, and the early draft boards already have the Cardinals connected to a passer, one who happens to run the same program as the rookie already on their roster.
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