Bucs land potential Baker Mayfield successor in 2027 NFL mock draft
· Yahoo Sports
The 2026 season hasn't even kicked off yet, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' situation at quarterback is already creating some interesting possibilities for next year's NFL draft.
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Justin Melo of NFL Draft On SI released his latest 2027 first-round mock draft and has Tampa Bay using the No. 14 overall pick on Miami quarterback Darian Mensah. It's an early projection, especially considering the draft order was based on Sports Illustrated's current power rankings, but the position is what makes the pick worth watching.
Baker Mayfield is entering the final year of his contract after he and the Buccaneers were unable to reach an extension this offseason. That doesn't mean Tampa Bay is preparing to move on from its starting quarterback, but it does leave the door open heading into 2027. How Mayfield and the Bucs perform this season will go a long way toward determining whether quarterback is even a position Tampa Bay needs to consider next April.
Mensah is at least giving NFL teams a reason to keep an eye on him. After throwing for 3,993 yards and 34 touchdowns at Duke last season, he transferred to Miami and immediately put together a huge debut for the Hurricanes. Against Stanford, Mensah completed 27 of 30 passes for 401 yards and five touchdowns.
PFF's numbers were just as impressive, as Mensah finished the game with a 92.6 offensive grade and 93.0 passing grade while averaging 13.3 yards per attempt. He recorded three big-time throws without a turnover-worthy play and posted a 158.3 passer rating.
This also isn't the first time Mensah has been connected to Tampa Bay this early in the process. Melo previously sent Mensah to the Buccaneers at No. 19 overall in a July mock draft before projecting Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey to Tampa Bay in August. The names and draft positions are going to change plenty between now and April, but the common theme is worth noting: Mayfield's unresolved future makes quarterback a legitimate position to monitor for the Bucs in the 2027 draft.
For now, Mensah has an entire season at Miami to build his case, while Mayfield has an entire season to potentially make the conversation irrelevant in Tampa Bay.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs land potential Baker Mayfield successor in 2027 NFL mock draft