Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza did it all for the Hoosiers, leading them to an undefeated 16-0 season and a national championship, the first in school history. He announced Friday that he is declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. He's the likely first overall pick of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock in the 2026 NFL Draft. And their likely target — Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Fernando Mendoza of Indiana — is now theirs for the taking.
Mendoza, who transferred from California to Indiana a year ago, went 16-0 for the Hoosiers and led them to the school's first-ever football national title after beating Miami 27-21 on Monday night.
For the year, he was 273-for-379 passing — a 72 percent completion percentage, which ranked No. 3 in the country. He had 41 touchdown passes, tops in the nation, with just six interceptions. He also rushed for seven touchdown.
"Let's get to work," Mendoza wrote on his Instagram account. "I'm humbled to announce that I am officially declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft!"
Mendoza was sensational all season, leading Indiana on the most unlikely of national championship runs. The Hoosiers, 100-to-1 odds to start the season, were ranked No. 20 in the Associated Press preseason poll but moved up quickly after beating then No. 9 Illinois 63-10 in September and then winning road games at Iowa, Oregon and Penn State.
The Hoosiers beat Purdue 56-3 to end the regular season at 12-0, the first time in Indiana's 138-year football history that they had a team go unbeaten. Indiana beat Ohio State to win their first Big Ten Championship Game, and then raced through the playoffs with wins over No. 9 Alabama, No. 5 Oregon and No. 10 Miami without ever trailing in any of the three games.
They won by a combined score of 121-46, one of the most impressive runs in the College Football Playoff era.
Mendoza spent the past two days in New York. He appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Thursday night and was on Good Morning America on Friday morning. Tom Brady has long been one of Mendoza's idols, and he's part of the Raiders' front office now.
"First of all, to be drafted by any team, I would be so grateful,'' Mendoza said during his Good Morning America interview. "It would be a dream come true from a two-star recruit.
Here is the projected 2026 NFL Draft order. The draft will take place in Pittsburgh from April 23 to April 25.
1. Las Vegas Raiders
2. New York Jets
3. Arizona Cardinals
4. Tennessee Titans
5. New York Giants
6. Cleveland Browns
7. Washington Commanders
8. New Orleans Saints
9. Kansas City Chiefs
10. Cincinnati Bengals
11. Dallas Cowboys
12. Miami Dolphins
13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta)
14. Baltimore Ravens
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16. New York Jets (from Indianapolis)
17. Detroit Lions
18. Minnesota Vikings
19. Carolina Panthers
20. Dallas Cowboys (from Green Bay)
21. Pittsburgh Steelers
22. Los Angeles Chargers
23. Philadelphia Eagles
24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville)
25. Chicago Bears
26. Buffalo Bills
27. San Francisco 49ers
28. Houston Texans
The AFC and NFC finalists — the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams will claim the fina four spots.
Denver and New England play in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET in Denver (TV: CBS). The Seahawks and Rams will play for the NFC title at 6:30 p.m. ET. (TV: FOX)