It's evident that the New York Jets are going to be in the mix for a quarterback with one of the top selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, but it remains uncertain who the team is going to target.
According to the latest from ESPN's Rich Cimini, there are questions about Fernando Mendoza.
While it seems safe to say Mendoza should be the top pick, considering how well he's played throughout the season, he threw some cold water on that take, suggesting that there are questions about whether he's worthy of a top 10 pick.
“The draft is five months away, but there's already a growing buzz about the Jets and Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, perhaps the top quarterback prospect. The question is whether he's worth a top-10 pick...
“In his latest mock draft, ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller has the Jets trading up for Mendoza at No. 1 overall. The Jets' scouts are paying a lot of attention to Mendoza; general manager Darren Mougey has watched him play in person at least once -- but the evaluation process is in the early stages,” he wrote.
According to an anonymous executive, they even went as far as to say that the Jets could be desperate in this scenario and hope there's enough with Mendoza to be the quarterback of the future.
"When you're desperate, you can create a guy," a longtime personnel executive said. "There's enough with Mendoza to do that."
Mendoza seems to have all the physical tools that a quarterback needs to succeed at the highest level in the NFL.
He's big, has a good arm, and has proven in college that he can win at the highest level.
We’ll get a better view of what Mendoza is in the Big Ten title game, likely against Ohio State, as well as the CFP, barring something drastic happening toward the end of the season.
If he can go out against Ohio State and beat a playoff team or two, there shouldn't be many questions about what he is as a quarterback, at least as a prospect.
It isn't a guarantee that he'll come to the NFL and be a star, but no player in the league has ever been guaranteed anything.