The Arizona Cardinals reworked Jacoby Brissett's contract, signed veteran Gardner Minshew II, and spent a third-round pick on Carson Beck. They still don't have a clear answer at the most important position in all of football.
Fortunately, Arizona's rebuilding timeline and demanding strength of schedule could align to give them an opportunity to address the position in next summer's draft. They should be in the conversation for the No. 1 overall selection, but there's plenty to be excited about at the position.
In fact, in ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates' recent mock draft, four signal-callers were projected to be taken in the top ten, all of whom should already be on the Cardinals' radar entering the 2026 season.
Dante Moore, Oregon
While Arch Manning may be the headliner of this class due to his family, don't count out Dante Moore as being the top overall pick. Kiper and Yates went that direction in their mock, sending the Oregon product to the Miami Dolphins. Moore led Oregon to a 13-2 record last season, totaling 3,565 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with a 163.7 rating.
Arch Manning, Texas
Manning didn't have quite the same level of productivity as Moore last season, finishing with 3,163 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions with a 144.9 rating. There's more of a learning curve here, but the payoff could be a franchise-altering decision as there's legitimate star upside.
As a Heisman candidate, hopefully he takes another step forward at Texas, so there's less risk involved with the draft selection. Still, the Cardinals should be thrilled if they can come away with what could potentially be the newest NFL star in the Manning family.
CJ Carr, Notre Dame
It's still early, but as of now CJ Carr doesn't appear to be receiving the same level of consideration for the top overall pick compared to Moore and Manning. That could potentially change if he's able to lead Notre Dame deep into the college playoff picture.
There's a lot to like about Carr's NFL-readiness in key intangible aspects of being a quarterback, whether that's his clutch play, leadership, or maturity level. Plus for Arizona, running back Jeremiyah Love in the backfield behind Carr seems like an explosive Notre Dame pairing that could be too good to pass up.
Darian Mensah, Miami
Darian Mensah likely finds himself a tier outside of Moore, Manning, and Carr. That trio was the top three selections (in that order) for ESPN's mock. Meanwhile, Mensah just snuck into the top ten, going to the Atlanta Falcons at pick No. 9.
He still belongs in that conversation as a potential quarterback option Arizona could consider using its coveted first-round pick on next offseason. In fact, a mock draft from Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department even has Mensah landing with the Cardinals at No. 1 overall.
"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," Bleacher Report scout Dame 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."
As of now, Mensah seems to have the widest range of draft outcomes, though plenty will change as the season plays out.
Meanwhile, the rebuilding Cardinals have to continue to focus on improving their existing roster under new head coach Mike LaFleur. They've done a good job of bringing in and developing pass-catching talent, even deciding to keep seven receivers on their 53-man roster because the group played so well.
The next and biggest piece will be finding a signal-caller to pair with those weapons, and these four targets -- Moore, Manning, Carr, and Mensah -- currently present as Arizona's best draft options in 2027.
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