Former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza revealed that he will not attend the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh this month and will instead watch the ceremony with his family in Miami. Mendoza has been the presumptive No. 1 overall pick since he won the Heisman Trophy in December and led the Hoosiers to a national championship.
The 2026 NFL Draft class has been light on quarterback talent, and Mendoza has been linked to the Las Vegas Raiders, who hold the No. 1 pick.
Dan Orlovsky Details Reservations Over Fernando Mendoza
During Monday’s segment of the “Ross Tucker” podcast, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, who has advocated for former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson to be this draft class’s QB1, expressed reservations over Mendoza ahead of draft night.
“I would tell you that the stuff that is giving me reservations is, one, so much of the offense was declared pre-snap,” Orlovsky said. “When you watch their games (Indiana), one of my notes overwhelmingly is, why does everyone just play them and man it feels like. Like, here comes all-out man.
“If you go to the Iowa comeback, he throws an interception late in the game in an all-out pressure seam route. Safety crosses the receiver’s face blitz. They get the ball back in a couple of snaps, they’re down. Iowa plays like six out of the seven snaps man coverage in the same way.”
After transferring to Indiana from California, Mendoza led an unbeaten Big Ten and national championship campaign, including a Heisman Trophy win.
Rich Eisen Weighs In on Kirk Cousins’ Impact on Mendoza
The Raiders have been linked to Mendoza since part-owner Tom Brady watched the Hoosiers quarterback lead his team to a national championship in Miami in January.
The speculation increased after Geno Smith was traded to the New York Jets, but the equation changed when the Raiders signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins on April 2. During Friday’s segment of the “Rich Eisen Show,” analyst Rich Eisen discussed Mendoza’s future in Las Vegas after Cousins’ signing.
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“If there is a competition, there is no way he beats out a 14-year veteran,” Eisen said. “And I don’t care how you feel about Kirk Cousins. Not a chance. There’s just no way a kid who’s never played a snap in the NFL is going to have the same neck-up ability as the 14-year veteran in the league.”
Mendoza earned a PFSN College QB Impact score of 93.3 after tallying 3,535 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions, while adding 276 rushing yards and seven touchdowns for the Hoosiers last season.
