Star Darian Mensah continued his impressive start to the season with Miami's football team's 33-20 victory over Wake Forest, as he completed 30 of 34 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns, extending his streak to 35 consecutive completions across two games. This performance places him alongside Jaxson Dart and Mitch Trubisky in the FBS record book and adds to what has already become one of the best starts by any quarterback in college football.
Miami's football team offense did cool off considerably after building a 31-7 lead, going through a prolonged lull in the second half that allowed Wake Forest to make the game competitive, but Mensah was quick to credit the Hurricanes' defense for securing the win rather than focusing solely on his own historic night. This sets the stage for an interesting conversation about the 2027 NFL Draft, and while Arch Manning remains one of the most recognizable prospects in college football, and Dante Moore recently topped an ESPN poll of NFL scouts and executives, Mensah has compiled an early-season resume worthy of serious consideration at the top of the draft.
Through Miami's first three games, Mensah has completed 71 of 79 passes for 11 touchdowns and no interceptions, numbers that are impressive regardless of the opponent. An 89.9% completion rate will likely decrease as the season progresses, but what's most important is how he achieves these numbers. Miami hasn't just relied on him to make safe throws because Mensah has consistently demonstrated the ability to operate on schedule, identify favorable matchups, and deliver accurate passes without risking turnovers.
The Wake Forest game highlighted this well. Completing 24 consecutive passes at the start of a game requires more than luck, as it depends on recognizing coverages, remaining composed in the pocket, and consistently providing receivers with catchable balls. Mensah accomplished all of this while throwing three touchdowns and avoiding reckless mistakes that could have allowed Wake Forest back into the game earlier.
His case goes beyond three solid weeks at the Miami football team, because last season at Duke, Mensah threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns against only six interceptions, leading the Blue Devils to an ACC championship before transferring to Miami. This track record shows that his accuracy and decision-making are consistent across different offenses. So, that aspect makes it important when comparing him to Manning, as much of Manning's appeal revolves around his potential: he has the size, arm talent, mobility, and family pedigree that make NFL teams confident in projecting a high ceiling for him, but at this stage, Mensah is playing cleaner football and has been significantly more efficient, while Manning has already thrown two interceptions in Texas' first two games.
NFL teams shouldn't overlook physical upside, but quarterback evaluation can become unnecessarily complicated when production, processing, and accuracy are treated as secondary traits simply because another player possesses more obvious raw tools. Mensah stands at 6-foot-3, has sufficient arm strength to attack all levels of the field, and has already demonstrated the ability to run high-level college offenses. This makes it difficult to argue that selecting him first would require sacrificing talent for safety because there are still legitimate questions to answer.
Wake Forest disrupted Miami's offense after making defensive adjustments in the second half, and future opponents will study what caused those four consecutive three-and-outs. Mensah will need to prove that he can adapt when defenses push him away from his preferred reads, especially against the tougher opponents on Miami's upcoming schedule. These tests are crucial because three games should not solely determine the first pick in an NFL Draft, yet they should influence the conversation. Mensah's current performance is also backed by his accomplishments at Duke, rather than emerging from nowhere.
Manning may ultimately have a better season, Moore could remain a favorite among scouts, and several other quarterbacks will get opportunities to enter the discussion, but based on what has occurred so far, Mensah has already done enough to be considered alongside them, rather than being placed in a lower tier. If he maintains close to this level of accuracy and decision-making as Miami faces tougher opponents, the debate surrounding the No. 1 pick should increasingly include Mensah as a serious option, rather than viewing Manning or Moore as automatic choices.