The Film Guy: Miami QB Darian Mensah Is Worth Every Dollar

Welcome in to the Film Guy Network. It’s officially football season, which means we’ve got some film study for you.

If you’re a Miami football fan, we are going to put a smile on your face with our second iteration of a Darian Mensah film study.

We did one back in January when you guys announced that you were going to be grabbing him from the Duke Blue Devils, and we were a fan then. Hell, we were a fan when he was coming out of Tulane.

I remember hearing the news about him getting an exorbitant amount of money from Duke and thinking, who’s this Tulane guy, Darian Mensah? I might have to check this out.

Then I watched the Tulane tape and I’m like, oh my lord. Oh my lord. That is Jordan Love. That is the reiteration of Jordan Love. That was the initial comp we gave him coming out of Tulane, and I think it still very much holds true to this day.

Let’s get into it.

Upgrade Over Carson Beck?

I think it’s a tremendous upgrade at the quarterback position. Anybody who’s listened to our platform over the last five or six years knows we’ve been big Carson Beck guys, too, because we love quarterbacks who, for lack of a better term, play it boring.

Play it by the book. That is Carson Beck. Not so much with this guy. This guy likes to play a little ad-lib.

This guy likes to play it on the edge a little bit while also maintaining those traditional mechanical structures that quarterbacks need to be playing in. I think it’s a good combination between Carson Beck and Cam Ward. I think that’s what we’ve got going on right here with Darian Mensah.

When you go to study Darian Mensah’s Duke tape particularly, that sucker is going to turn into a Cooper Barkate film study really quickly. I think that’s probably why Miami was as adamant as they were about getting both. Not just getting the quarterback, but also getting this guy.

This was one of the best fourth-down football teams in the country last year from an attempts and conversion standpoint. And they didn’t do it with quarterback sneaks. They did it off Darian Mensah’s arm and Cooper Barkate’s dog. That’s what it was.

Duke Trusted Mensah When It Mattered

Duke was second in the country in fourth-down conversion rate, and for attempts they had to be top five. These guys were going for it all day, every day, and they were picking them up all day, every day.

And again, they weren’t fourth-and-twos or fourth-and-ones. There were a lot of fourth-and-fours in there. A lot of fourth-and-fives. A lot of, hey, they’re throwing the football.

They played in some big games, but they didn’t play in the games that you guys intend to play in this year at Miami. The massive moments. Semifinals, quarterfinals, national championships. That’s what y’all expect to play in.

This dude had his back against the wall all year last year at Duke and performed more than admirably. I would say he performed at an elite rate down there at Duke.

The Darian Mensah-Cooper Barkate Connection

Like I said, any Darian Mensah study is going to turn very quickly into a Cooper Barkate study.

That was evident from the first play against Georgia Tech. Duke ran a little RPO, with the defense giving Barkate one-on-one against an off-coverage corner in a Cover 3 structure. Mensah spit the ball out to Barkate, who made the corner miss and took off down the sideline.

It was an easy decision for Mensah based on the numbers in the box. With the safety creeping down, Georgia Tech had eight defenders in the box against Duke’s seven. That gave Barkate the matchup on the outside, and Mensah took advantage of it.

Georgia Tech gave Duke a similar look again. They brought numbers into the box and played three over three on the outside. Again, Mensah got the ball out to Barkate and let him go to work.

So, the first two plays of the game, we throw the ball behind the line of scrimmage and average 20 yards a clip. That’s not bad.

Quick and Efficient Mechanics

Mensah’s mechanics are a big reason why I think he has one of the most efficient and quick draws we have in college football. I would put him right up there with Trinidad Chambliss when it comes to how quick and efficient he is from hand break to ball release.

On one of these throws, the hands break at 5.20 and the release comes at 5.63. We’re well underneath that 0.45-second mark that we want from the time of the hand break to the time of release.

Why does that matter? That’s how defenses break on footballs.

You’re also always going to notice his ball placement in the screen game is elite. We’re never going to steal YAC from wide receivers. We’re always going to put it on their face and let them run after the catch. Never make them stop or turn due to ball placement.

The Trust is Already There

The connection between Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate jumps off the Duke tape. Barkate was targeted on each of the first three plays against Georgia Tech, and the third showed why he became such a reliable option for Mensah.

Duke lined up with five eligible receivers to one side of the formation and sent Barkate on a sail route. Mensah put the ball into a tight window, but I thought the catch was even better than the throw.

Barkate has really late hands. That’s important because when a DB isn’t looking back at the quarterback, he’s often reading the receiver’s hands to know when the football is arriving. The earlier those hands go up, the earlier the defender can react.

Barkate doesn’t give him that opportunity. He waits until the football is arriving to flash his hands and make the catch. The later the hands, the better.

That connection with Mensah wasn’t limited to designed throws, either.

Later, Georgia Tech sent a corner blitz from the boundary. Mensah recognized it immediately, while Barkate understood that the pressure meant he needed to gear down his route and get his eyes back to the quarterback. Mensah got the ball out to him before the blitz could get home.

That’s the kind of play that shows how much rapport these two had. They weren’t just completing passes because the play was drawn up correctly. They were seeing the defense the same way and adjusting to it together.

And remember, they built that connection in about five months before the season started. Barkate went on to lead the ACC in receiving.

That’s encouraging for Miami. Mensah will have roughly the same amount of time to build that rapport with Malachi Toney and the rest of the boys before the season starts.

Playing the Numbers Game

A lot of what Duke is doing is simply playing the numbers. I highly doubt opponents against Miami make it this easy. I would hope they don’t, but if they do, they’re going to get doled.

And now imagine having two of these guys. Malachi Toney is one of the best football players we have in college football, and Cooper Barkate is one of the best wide receivers we have in college football.

But this tape isn’t just about where Mensah is throwing the ball. It’s how efficiently he gets there.

On one critical down against Georgia Tech, Mensah initially looks to the high corner. When the defense takes that away, he gives it a pump, gets the defense driving toward it and immediately gets the ball out to the back in the flat.

That transition happens really, really quickly. He gets through the pump, resets and releases the football without wasting movement.

He always passes the pause test, too. His front knee isn’t locked out, and he’s creating good ground force without wasting it. That’s a big part of why the ball jumps out of his hand.

I don’t think Mensah has the biggest arm in the world, but his mechanics are so fluid that he doesn’t need to. It’s similar to what I see with Jordan Love. I don’t think Love has the biggest arm in the NFL, either, but he’s one of the most accurate quarterbacks, particularly on deep overs and shallow crosses.

Mensah has that same kind of natural arm talent. The ball comes out quickly, efficiently and with plenty of juice.

Mensah’s Anticipation Shows Up on Fourth Down

That fourth-and-five against Georgia Tech is a perfect example of what I love about Mensah. The defense brings six, forcing him to get the football out quickly.

Mensah has an outside receiver running a curl against press man coverage with safety help over the top. But he doesn’t wait for the receiver to get into his break. His hands are already separated and the football is coming out well before the route turns back toward him.

That’s an anticipatory throw, and we love anticipatory throws.

The other important part is where Mensah chooses to go with the football. Barkate is involved in a rub concept on the opposite side, but that route needs more time to develop. With Georgia Tech bringing pressure, Mensah instead works to the short side of the field and takes the quicker option.

Duke actually has enough bodies to handle the pressure, with six blockers for Georgia Tech’s six rushers. But the offensive line gets picked as a linebacker wraps around and comes free.

Mensah doesn’t panic or wait for the protection to sort itself out. He recognizes what is happening, plays hot and gets the football out before the pressure can affect the throw.

Shouldn’t have had to, though.

The Cam Ward Side of Darian Mensah

There was only one real negative I saw on the film, and somehow it still turned into a 30+ yard explosion.

Mensah has a curl available and everything he needs to make the throw. I like the angle. I like the window. Hell, I like the protection. Georgia Tech only brings four, Duke has five in protection and the offensive line picks it up.

It’s money right now. Rip that football and let’s go.

Instead, Mensah bails out of a clean pocket for some unknown reason. That’s the part I don’t like.

What happens next is where that Cam Ward side of Mensah shows up.

Rather than allowing the unnecessary escape from the pocket to kill the play, Mensah becomes the answer. He makes one defender miss, escapes an arm tackle, makes another guy miss and keeps his eyes downfield as the play turns into a scramble drill.

Then he finds Cooper Barkate downfield for a gain of about 30 yards.

That’s some Cam Ward-type stuff. The structure of the play breaks down – in this case because Mensah leaves it himself – but he has the athleticism and arm talent to create something explosive anyway.

There’s also something to be said for getting that kind of playmaking ability from an interconference transfer. Mensah already knows the ACC. He’s familiar with the defensive structures, the opponents and the away stadiums. We’ve already seen his game work against these defenses.

We don’t have to sit around wondering, “Will it translate?”

Hell, it won the conference last year. We know it’s going to translate.

Stepping Through the Smoke

One thing I love about Mensah is how he handles pressure when the pocket starts collapsing. Instead of immediately drifting backward or trying to escape outside, he’s willing to step up through the smoke.

On one play against Georgia Tech, Mensah feels the pressure, gets vertical in the pocket and keeps his eyes downfield. He finds his tight end and gives him a chance to make the play.

I think the ball ought to be caught.

That play does bring up one of the few questions I have about Miami’s roster. I don’t know if Miami has a tight end of the same quality Mensah had at Duke. We’re going to have to find out.

If there is one question about this Miami roster, literally one, it would be: Are the tight ends good enough?

My retort to that would be, do they need to be?

Miami has so many wide receivers that I’m not even sure how much they need to live in 11 personnel. They could spread everybody out and live in 10 personnel.

Hell, maybe get in 20 personnel. Play two backs, no tight ends. Y’all got five damn good backs, too.

Trust and Arm Talent

Mensah also showed plenty of trust in his tight end at Duke.

On one play against Georgia Tech, Duke gets the tight end one-on-one against a corner with the safety rotating away. Mensah recognizes the matchup and gives his guy a chance to make a play.

What I don’t like is how Mensah handles the pressure. Georgia Tech green dogs him with the defensive end, but instead of staying where he’s protected, Mensah moves himself toward the pressure.

That’s unnecessary. The protection isn’t what creates the problem. Mensah does. If he keeps his feet where they are, he has a chance to deliver the ball cleanly. Instead, he puts himself in a position where he has to make the throw with pressure directly in his face.

And then he throws a touchdown anyway, so I don’t know why I’m complaining.

That’s where the arm talent bails him out. I don’t love unnecessary movement into the face of pressure, but Mensah has enough arm talent to make the throw even when his feet and body aren’t exactly where you’d want them.

That arm talent shows up again on a throw to Barkate. Barkate drops his hips at the top of the route and gets the defender completely turned around.

He’s cooked. Bacon grease out there.

Mensah is moving when he delivers the football, but the ball still jumps out of his hand and gets to Barkate. It’s another example of the arm talent allowing Mensah to make throws even when everything around him isn’t perfectly structured.

Mensah Creates When the Play Breaks Down

Another play against Georgia Tech gives us an even better look at the rapport between Mensah and Barkate.

Duke is trying to run a mesh concept with a rail route, but Georgia Tech handles it well in coverage and forces Mensah to extend the play. That changes the timing of everything and turns the original concept into more of a scramble drill.

Mensah buys enough time to keep the play alive and eventually flicks the ball downfield to Barkate. Duke gets called for OPI because the ball is thrown beyond the line of scrimmage, but the result isn’t really why I included the play.

I included it because of what happens between Mensah and Barkate once the original play breaks down.

Mensah understands where Barkate is going to be and gives him a chance. Barkate adjusts to the football over his shoulder and makes a pluck that’s kind of bonkers, to be honest with you.

And the catch itself is only part of it.

Before Barkate even finishes the grab, before the football is brought into his chest, his eyes are already on the defender. He’s thinking about what comes next – either making that guy miss or protecting himself from the hit.

That’s what stands out about these two. Even when the original play doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, Mensah and Barkate find a way to stay connected and create something.

Their rapport is elite.

A Must-Have Two-Point Conversion

One of my favorite plays from the game came on a must-have two-point conversion.

Duke was only in this position because an earlier 99-yard drive ended with a fumble at the one that Georgia Tech returned for a touchdown. Duke essentially drove 96 yards and Georgia Tech scored seven points.

No bueno.

Later, Duke needed a two-point conversion to get the game back within one possession. Mensah had to find a way to make something happen.

The play breaks down, so Mensah scrambles around and extends it before eventually throwing the football all the way back across his body toward the middle of the end zone. Barkate had initially been covered up, but as Mensah buys time, he finds a way to work himself back into the play and get to the football.

I tweeted this play out and people were like, “Oh, what a prayer. He’s just throwing it up.”

Yeah, he was. It’s a two-point conversion. Who gives a damn if we throw a pick on a two-point conversion?

I’ve got to have it.

That’s why the context matters. Mensah isn’t making that throw in a normal down-and-distance situation. Duke needs two points, the original play is gone and there’s no downside to giving his guy a chance.

What impresses me is that Mensah has enough juice to extend the play and then get the football all the way back across his body to Barkate in the end zone.

And he got two in.

Final Thoughts on Darian Mensah

I like him a lot.

Every time I watch him, I’m like, “Ooh, what are those national title odds?”

If Trinidad Chambliss didn’t exist, Mensah might be my favorite quarterback this upcoming season, to be honest.

We’ve got some fun ACC quarterbacks this year, but Darian Mensah is right there near the top of that list.