Steelers Now
Another potential quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2026 NFL Draft is off the board. Duke quarterback Darian Mensah announced on Friday that he’s returning to Duke for the 2026 season, passing on the NFL draft.
“Let’s run this back,” Mensah said in an Instagram post that was titled, “The Decision.”
Mensah led the ACC in passing yards in 2025 with 3,646, leading Duke to an ACC Championship title. Mensah had a remarkable 30-5 touchdown-interception ratio in his breakout year. His 30 passing touchdowns ranked fifth-most in the FBS.
Mensah transferred to Duke from Tulane this past offseason, signing a deal worth a reported $8 million over two years.
“This year was everything to me. This team, this locker room, this family welcomed me with open arms … When the odds were against us, we kept fighting. I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world,” Mensah said in his Instagram video.
Duke faces Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.
Mensah joins Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers and Texas’ Arch Manning as quarterbacks returning to college.
With Sellers not declaring, there are just three quarterbacks in the top 32 players on the big board: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Oregon’s Dante Moore and Alabama’s Ty Simpson.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been heavily scouting the quarterbacks in this class, including Sellers three times, most recently his final game of the season against Clemson.
Mendoza became the first Hoosier to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. Mendoza, who led Indiana to 13-0 record and Big Ten title, beat out Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin to win the 2025 Heisman.
The Steelers had scouts at multiple Indiana games this year. They also scouted Mendoza when he was at Cal. With Mendoza winning the Heisman, it’s pretty much certain that he’ll be a top-3 pick in the NFL Draft. So unless the Steelers trade up, he won’t be a Steeler.
The Steelers could pick in the 20s in the 2026 NFL Draft. Simpson landed with the Steelers at 20th overall in a recent mock draft by Sports Illustrated.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Another Potential Steelers Draft Target Returns to College
