Former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been the unanimous No. 1 pick in several mock drafts since he led the Hoosiers on an unprecedented unbeaten national championship win, while winning the Heisman Trophy in the process. The Las Vegas Raiders have been credited with an interest in utilizing their No. 1 pick on Mendoza on draft night.
The 2026 NFL Draft class has been criticized for being light on quarterback talent, with only Mendoza and former Alabama standout Ty Simpson receiving first-round grades.
Analyst Makes Arch Manning Claim Over Fernando Mendoza
During Thursday’s segment of “The Herd” show, analyst Jason McIntyre revealed his conviction that had Texas Longhorns star Arch Manning been in the draft class of 2026, he would have been picked first over Mendoza.
“We know Mendoza is going No. 1, it’s kind of anticlimactic,” McIntyre said. “If Arch were in this draft, he’d go ahead of Mendoza. I don’t think this is as hot of a take. Yes, Mendoza has him in all statistical categories. Big throws last season, completion percentage, quarterback rating. But it ain’t about the stats.
“Nobody is drafting for what you just did, they’re drafting for what you can be. I know it’s a tough sell, but Arch Manning over Mendoza to me seems obvious. Because you’re betting on besides the genetics and the Manning lineage.”
After finally capturing the Longhorns’ QB1 position following Quinn Ewers’ departure and ahead of a pivotal season for Texas, Manning is expected to be one of the top picks in perhaps the most anticipated draft class next season.
Mendoza earned the second-highest 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 Indiana last season.
Raiders GM Eases Pressure on Mendoza
The Raiders have had a long-held interest in Mendoza since part-owner Tom Brady attended the national championship game between Indiana and the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in January. The Raiders also have Aidan O’Connell in their roster and have acquired veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to bolster their QB room.
While speaking to reporters during Tuesday’s pre-draft news conference, Raiders general manager John Spytek revealed how the team would ease a quarterback into the league should they utilize their No. 1 pick on the position on draft night.
“It’s a hard position to play, and there’s a lot to learn beyond throwing [a] football and being a good teammate,” Spytek said.
“Ultimately, this is a meritocracy, and the best guy will play. It’s just really hard to play really well at a young age. But we’ve seen plenty of quarterbacks do it recently. We added Kirk, we have Aidan, and we’ll see how it goes.”
The last six quarterbacks who were selected No. 1 in the draft started in the NFL in Week 1, with the last prospect not to start being Baker Mayfield for the Cleveland Browns in 2018.
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