In the earlier stages of the 2025 college football season, Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah appeared to be establishing himself as a legitimate prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft. He was regularly throwing for well over 300 yards, and his combination of arm strength, accuracy and pocket presence was undeniable.

Mensah himself said that he didn't want to pay any mind to his NFL Draft stock because he didn't want to get bogged down in it and only wanted to focus on Duke football, but it's hard to completely divorce yourself from it as a serious prospect.

Well, over the last couple of weeks, we may be seeing the pressure begin to envelop Mensah, who has posted back-to-back shaky outings in a row.

It started when Mensah went 22-for-31 with 222 yards, three touchdowns and a couple of interceptions in a tough loss to UConn, and this past Saturday, he completed just 18 of his 35 passes for 213 yards and a score in a defeat at the hands of Virginia. The latter was unquestionably his worst outing of the season.

So, is Mensah starting to regress? Or is he just feeling the heat?

More than likely, with the regular season nearing its end, it's the latter.

Mensah has surely seen other quarterbacks around the country who were expected to be top picks in the 2026 draft slipping. Arch Manning, Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier, for example, have all been significant disappointments. The result? A gap has been opened for a new signal-caller to announce his presence, and for a while, it appeared that Mensah was doing just that.

But the former Tulane product has definitely experienced a rather major setback over the last two games. Is it a big deal? No. Not unless his slide continues against North Carolina and Wake Forest to conclude the regular season.

It would also hurt if Mensah weren't able to lead Duke to a bowl game considering how impressive the Blue Devils looked earlier in the season when they ripped off three straight wins to get to 4-2. Now, they are just 5-5, and I could envision a scenario in which they finish 5-7.

Of course, we can't just ignore everything Mensah has accomplished thus far. He still leads the ACC in passing yards (3,007) and passing touchdowns (25). Yes, I understand the ACC is not exactly a juggernaut, but it's not like it's the Sun Belt, either.

Mensah has the size and skill set to be an NFL quarterback. Whether or not he can ever be a starter on the next level remains to be seen, especially considering he isn't much of a dual threat. But Mensah can do himself a huge favor with a strong finish to 2025.