Indiana Hoosiers star quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been given a negative assessment from an NFL coach.
With just under two months remaining until the 2026 NFL Draft arrives, Indiana Hoosiers star quarterback Fernando Mendoza is still expected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Mendoza, who is fresh off of winning the coveted Heisman Trophy award and leading the Hoosiers to a National Championship win over the Miami Hurricanes, has been the expected No. 1 pick for quite some time. However, there are still some who question his NFL ability.
Keeping that in mind, a new negative assessment has been shared about Mendoza.
As shared by The Athletic's Mike Sando, an anonymous offensive coach who has evaluated the 2026 quarterback draft class isn't sold on Mendoza as an NFL quarterback.
"I don't think he's surefire at all," the coach said. "I like the Alabama guy [Ty Simpson] better."
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Whoever this anonymous coach is can make these kinds of comments as much as he wants. However, the idea that Ty Simpson is more of a sure thing than Mendoza is downright laughable.
Most NFL Draft analysts have been raising red flags about Simpson, not Mendoza. Simpson is coming off of one lone season as a starting college quarterback. He was good with the Alabama Crimson Tide, but fell off late in the year.
Mendoza, on the other hand, got better as the season moved forward. He finished the year with 3,535 passing yards, 41 touchdowns, and just six interceptions, while also completing 72 percent of his passes. On the ground, he chipped in with 276 yards and seven more touchdowns.
There have been few NFL quarterback prospects who look more like the real deal than Mendoza does in the 2026 class.
Granted, young quarterbacks are never guaranteed to pan out. Mendoza could end up falling apart at the professional level. However, that doesn't seem very likely.
Along with his impressive skill-set, Mendoza has an excellent attitude. He wants to be coached, he wants to learn, and he's all about the team. An NFL team couldn't ask for more.
Expect to see Mendoza's name called when the Raiders are on the clock at No. 1 overall. After that, he'll have high expectations to live up to and will look to prove all of his doubters wrong from day one.