Fernando Mendoza didn’t enjoy much early success in his football journey, but everything flipped during the 2025 season at Indiana. He put the finishing touch on the Hoosiers’ magnificent run by establishing himself as one of the most decorated quarterbacks in college football history, and skipping the Senior Bowl has done nothing to hurt his draft stock.
Fernando Mendoza Gets Grim Draft Outlook From Super Bowl Champion
The Las Vegas Raiders and Mendoza seem increasingly likely to be linked in the coming months. Members of the Raiders’ front office, including Tom Brady, were in attendance to watch Mendoza compete in the National Championship. Holding the No. 1 overall pick, Las Vegas has a straightforward decision to select Mendoza or explore a trade, but his draft projection isn’t the same for everyone.
On the latest episode of the “Speakeasy” podcast, two-time Super Bowl champion LeSean McCoy shared his thoughts on the Raiders’ interest in Klint Kubiak and the possibility of drafting Mendoza.
“How good are the Raiders going to be?” McCoy said. “You wonder where Andy Reid, they had a bad year, you know, he can’t wait to get back to it. And then now the Broncos are the top team, and then the Chargers. So you ask me about the hire, I mean, it’s also the talk about the hire. Because I like the hire, but you got to do something else.
MORE: Arch Manning Would Be Favored Over Fernando Mendoza in 2026 NFL Draft, Former QB Claims
McCoy also touched on the quarterback position:
“And then a quarterback. Can we keep it real? Now, I love what Indiana did. I think that Curt Cignetti is probably the greatest college coach of all time.”
Podcast co-host Emmanuel Acho then asked McCoy directly whether he believes Mendoza is a quality quarterback, and the response likely won’t sit well with the former Indiana signal-caller.
“He’s not great,” McCoy said. “When I watch the player, I’m like, I led the eye test. I want everybody at home to hear what I’m saying. You can always get better. But the eye test, don’t tell me, oh my God, he’s the No. 1 pick overall.”
Indiana fans will not surely like this take, as Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 season in 2025, becoming the first program in modern college football to finish 16-0 since Yale in 1894.
He checked every box at Indiana, leading the team to success while posting 3,535 passing yards, 41 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. He also completed 72% of his throws and added 276 rushing yards with seven scores on the ground.
The Heisman Trophy winner also delivered one of the most iconic moments in program history- the game-winning 12-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-five in the fourth quarter to defeat Miami in the national championship game. He currently ranks as the No. 2 quarterback in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric.
Meanwhile, Mendoza added another honor on Friday by winning the Manning Award. It is a fitting addition to his trophy case that already includes the Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award, AP College Football Player of the Year, and the Walter Camp Award.
