Fernando Mendoza, likely No. 1 pick, declares for 2026 NFL Draft
Published:
Fernando Mendoza had the best season a college quarterback could possibly have. Now, he’s turning his attention to the next level.
On Friday, the Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner made official what had long been expected. In a post on Instagram, Mendoza announced that he is entering the 2026 NFL Draft and forgoing his final season of college eligibility. Mendoza is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick later this year.
View this post on Instagram
The Las Vegas Raiders hold the top pick in the draft, which is set to begin on April 23. Raiders minority owner Tom Brady was part of a contingent of Las Vegas personnel who traveled to Miami earlier this week to watch Mendoza lead IU to a 27-21 win over Miami to claim the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Mendoza was the most outstanding offensive player in that game. He also beat out Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia by nearly 1,000 total points to win the Heisman. If Mendoza is selected with the first overall pick, he’d become just the third player ever to win a Heisman Trophy, a national championship, and be the top pick in the NFL Draft in a 12-month window.
Joe Burrow did it with LSU in 2019-20. Cam Newton did it with Auburn in 2010-11.
At BetMGM, Mendoza is currently priced at -10000 to be the first player selected. That’s an implied likelihood of 99.01%.
Mendoza began his career at Cal. He threw for 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2024 before entering the transfer portal. In his lone season with Indiana, he threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns against just 6 interceptions. He also had 7 rushing scores, including a defining scramble touchdown on a fourth-down play in the final quarter of the national title game.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
