Fernando Mendoza declares for 2026 NFL Draft: Indiana star QB, Heisman Trophy winner projects as No. 1 pick

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft after a standout junior season, he announced Friday. Mendoza, ranked No. 1 in the CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings, is widely projected to be selected first overall by the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Mendoza finished the 2025 campaign by throwing for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns, en route to winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 record with a dramatic win over Miami in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

In the title game against Miami, Mendoza completed 16 of 27 attempts for 186 yards. However, Mendoza made one of the biggest plays in the CFP era with his legs. On a critical fourth-and-5, Mendoza ran for a 12-yard touchdown, bulldozing his way through the Miami defense to put his team up 10 points with 9:18 remaining in regulation.

During his three-year college career, which began with two seasons at California, Mendoza completed 68.6% of his attempts for 8,247 yards with a touchdown-interception ratio of 71 to 22. During Indiana's first two CFP games against Alabama and Oregon, Mendoza combined to throw for eight touchdown passes with only five incompletions and with no interceptions.

Mendoza's NFL Draft stock

Not only is Mendoza the top-ranked quarterback prospect in this class, but he's also the No. 1 overall prospect in the CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings. With the Raiders certainly in the market for a quarterback this offseason, and with the quarterback class not full of depth, Mendoza could be the logical selection.

After Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announced his intention to return to school, there was little doubt about who the top player at the position was in the class. CBS Sports draft analyst Ryan Wilson mocked Mendoza at No. 1 to the Raiders earlier this month.

"Mendoza is a poised, accurate passer who has plus arm talent, consistently delivering catchable balls on time and in rhythm and excelling on layered second-level routes," Wilson wrote. "He shows NFL-level field vision and coverage recognition, consistently ripping throws with anticipation. While not a true creator, Mendoza navigates collapsing pockets effectively and can make accurate off-platform throws, showing a calm, efficient style reminiscent of Jared Goff."

What's next for Indiana?

Losing a quarterback of Mendoza's talent will be hard to replace, but Indiana already has lined up his successor at the position by adding TCU transfer Josh Hoover, who committed to Indiana earlier this cycle. Ironically, Hoover was committed to Indiana under the old coaching staff before flipping to TCU.

Meet Josh Hoover, the TCU transfer who will follow Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza as Indiana QB

Shehan Jeyarajah

During the 2025 campaign at TCU, Hoover threw for 3,472 yards and 29 touchdowns. He completed 65.9% of his attempts after throwing for nearly 4,000 yards the season before. Hoover also ran for two touchdowns.

In CBS Sports' way-too-early top 25 college football rankings for the 2026 season, Indiana was ranked No. 8.