Projected No. 1 pick Mendoza declares for NFL draft

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, he announced Friday.

“With trust in my foundation and gratitude for every person that has helped me reach this moment, I am ready to take the next step,” Mendoza said on Instagram.

He added: “My LinkedIn status is now ‘open to work’ and I am officially declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.”

Mendoza is coming off a Heisman-winning season, where he led Indiana to a 16-0 record. The Hoosiers completed the undefeated campaign with a 27-21 victory over Miami in the National Championship Game. Indiana became just the second program in history to go 16-0, joining Yale, which did it in 1894.

The redshirt-junior finished the contest completing 16 of 27 passes for 186 yards. A 12-yard touchdown run with just over nine minutes left in the game put the Hoosiers up 10 points to help secure the title.

Mendoza is projected to be the No. 1 pick in April. The Las Vegas Raiders hold the top selection for the first time since 2007, when they selected quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

The 22-year-old led the Big Ten conference with 41 touchdown passes last season and completed over 68% of his throws for 3,535 yards in his first season at Indiana. He transferred to the Hoosiers after a three-year run at California, two of those seasons as the starting quarterback.

Mendoza caps off his college career going 25-10 in 35 starts with 8,247 passing yards and 71 touchdown passes.

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