The Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback future is suddenly looking wide open, and the latest 2027 NFL mock draft points them toward a major reset.
After the Cardinals’ demoralizing walk-off loss to the New York Giants at MetLife, Jacoby Brissett is under a brighter spotlight than ever. The team captain has not looked like the player who sparked a revival last season. Instead, Week 4 turned into a nightmare: three interceptions and just 166 passing yards.
Brissett’s numbers tell the story. He sits 20th in passing yards and has thrown the fourth-most interceptions among starting quarterbacks. That kind of production has head coach Mike LaFleur weighing other options already on the roster, including Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck.
But in Nick Baumgardner’s latest mock draft, the long-term answer in Arizona comes from Oregon.
Baumgardner explained his thinking this way: “We’ll have to see how Moore, who is practicing again, responds after the concussion he suffered while taking a nasty hit vs. USC. When healthy and playing well, Moore still feels like a high-floor QB who would be able to handle the NFL’s ups and downs.”
Dante Moore was once projected as a top-two pick in last year’s draft, but he chose to return to Oregon for another season. A frightening collision has scouts watching closely, though Baumgardner noted that Moore has returned to practice and appears to be on track to come back soon.
The appeal is obvious. Moore is only 21 and has looked mature beyond his years, with zero turnovers in four games in 2026.
Before the injury, he had already thrown nine touchdowns and was on pace to shatter his previous season high of 30 passing touchdowns from last year. At 6-foot-3, the senior fits the mold of a modern quarterback who can protect the ball without giving up the ability to make plays inside or outside the pocket.
Brissett’s current deal runs only through the end of this season, which lines up with a possible move for a quarterback like Moore. Before Arizona can make that kind of call, though, LaFleur and the front office need to figure out what they have in Carson Beck.
The third-round pick turns 24 next month, and there are still real questions about whether he can be an NFL quarterback. He has just one preseason start, so the Cardinals haven’t had much chance to find out.
There is at least one recent example of a late-blooming rookie quarterback being pushed into action. Tyler Shough faced similar questions in 2025 when the Saints drafted him at 25, but New Orleans got him reps quickly. The result has been a second season in which he has turned into a gunslinger, leading the NFL in passing attempts and completions.
For Arizona, the bigger picture is hard to ignore. The offseason contract talks already made it feel like Brissett may not be part of the team in 2027. And with the Cardinals expected to have more than $100 million in cap space next offseason along with an expected top pick, the organization may soon have a real chance to choose between building around Beck or using those resources to chase a quarterback like Moore in the draft.
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