Mensah's early stats

Darian Mensah completed 71-of-79 passes (89.9%) for 873 yards, 11 touchdowns and no interceptions in three games

“Mensah has THREE more touchdown passes than incompletions as we sit here”

QB1 comparison

Mensah's EPA per dropback (0.74) outperforms Burrow (0.50), Daniels (0.57) and Murray (0.63)

FRED score

Mensah ranked fourth in 2027 QB class with FRED score of 39.4, a jump from preseason QB6

Second-read success

Mensah completed 2-of-2 for 46 yards on second reads against Stanford and 3-of-3 for 80 yards against Florida A&M

Cam Ward comparison

Mensah entered 2026 with FRED score of 39.4 versus Cam Ward's 6.8 when he transferred to Miami

Schedule advantage

Miami's early schedule features three soft opponents with no SEC teams until Notre Dame

Trinidad Chambliss

Chambliss has improved in progression but lacks Mensah's consistency in high-pressure situations

Big-time throws

Mensah's 4.9% big-time throw rate matches his 2024 Tulane and 2025 Duke performance

First-round potential

Mensah's early performance makes him a top contender for No. 1 overall pick in 2027 NFL draft

Key improvement

Mensah has shown better consistency in reads and decision-making than his preseason FRED score suggested

Next challenge

Mensah faces Notre Dame in November to test his ability against elite defense