The next chapter in Fernando Mendoza’s storybook season will be written in the NFL.
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana University’s Heisman Trophy-winning and national championship trophy-raising quarterback, is entering the 2026 NFL Draft:
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza announced that he is declaring for the NFL draft. He is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick. pic.twitter.com/JsM0k6y9L7
— ESPN (@espn) January 23, 2026Projected No. 1 Pick Fernando Mendoza Declares For the 2026 NFL Draft
As mentioned above, Fernando Mendoza is the projected No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Mendoza is the top quarterback and the first-ranked overall prospect on ESPN guru Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board. This is what the long-time NFL Draft expert had to say about the Indiana quarterback as a prospect:
Mendoza transferred to Indiana after playing two seasons at Cal, and his game took off. The key? He cut down on sacks, with 25 this season after taking 41 in 2024. Mendoza got the ball out quicker. And while he doesn’t have a huge arm, he can make all the necessary NFL-level throws. His ball placement is fantastic. I wouldn’t consider him a dual threat, but Mendoza also has enough mobility to pick up first downs as a scrambler.
Mendoza checks in at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, which is the type of size that NFL scouts and decision-makers tend to like in their quarterbacks. The production was top notch this past season, too. Mendoza completed 72 percent of his passes, threw for 3,535 yards, threw 41 touchdown passes (against just six interceptions), and added seven rushing touchdowns. In addition to winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Hoosiers to a national championship, Mendoza earned first-team All-American recognition and was named the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Year. And, unless something unexpected happens between now and April, Mendoza will add first overall pick in his draft class to an already impressive résumé.
CHECK OUT WHO MEL KIPER JR. HAS GOING TO THE BEARS WITH PICK NO. 25
Fernando Mendoza might not be a generational quarterback prospect. However, he is certainly an intriguing one. It feels worth pointing out that Kiper has no other quarterbacks in his top-10 prospect rankings. Also worth sharing is that the only other quarterback to land a spot on his top-25 big board is Alabama’s Ty Simpsons. So while I’m glad the Chicago Bears aren’t needing to draft a first-round quarterback, I wish there were more drool-worthy quarterback prospects who could go higher in the draft and push other positional prospects down the board and into the lap of Bears General Manager Ryan Poles.
Be that as it may, there is no denying that Fernando Mendoza is the most intriguing quarterback prospect in this class. Plus, he figures to be an upgrade over whatever slop the Las Vegas Raiders were putting on the field in a 3-14 season that was so bad that it led them to fire Pete Carroll as head coach and land the No. 1 overall pick in this draft.
In the end, I’m honest enough with myself to admit that I am not sure what the future holds for Fernando Mendoza as an NFL quarterback. And I’m not deep enough in scouting tape to make a declaration one way or another. But I do know that Mendoza helped make the Indiana Hoosiers an enjoyable watch this past season as they went 16-0 en route to a national championship-winning season. Perhaps pairing him with the Raiders’ 2025 first-round pick (running back Ashton Jeanty) and 2024 first-rounder (tight end Brock Bowers) will create a core that makes Vegas’ football team fun. After all, there is no such thing as having too much fun in Vegas.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn ImagesCHECK OUT A NEW EPISODE OF THE BN BEARS PODCAST: Apple | Spotify | YouTube
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