Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza put on a show in the College Football Semifinal, and now he’s turning more and more people into believers that the Las Vegas Raiders should select him No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Mendoza went 17-for-20 on his pass attempts for 177 passing yards and five touchdowns in Indiana’s 56-22 win over the Oregon Ducks. With the Hoosiers in the national title game against the Miami Hurricanes, Mendoza can do even more to convince that he’s the undisputed top NFL prospect in this year’s draft.
Nonetheless, former NFL players Shananon Sharpe and Chad Johnson are sold on Mendoza going first overall. However, they sent a warning to the Raiders, noting that the front office needs to improve two key areas of the football team if they draft the Indiana star.
“I wasn’t that high on Mendoza obviously because you watch Indiana play, but I didn’t know he was this good,” Johnson said on the Jan. 9 edition of “Night Cap.”
“Now that the spotlight is on him, it’s a pressure situation, and you have to show up when it matters most. He played [phenomenally]. If he’s going to the Raiders based on some of the throws I saw [against the Ducks], [and] where you put some pieces around the quarterback [from what] I saw [on Jan. 9] at the next level, he’s going to be all right.”
Sharpe then quickly responded: “You’d better put some offensive linemen around him.” Johnson followed that up by saying that Mendoza will need weapons, too.
“You’ve got to get him a receiver,” Johnson added. “Just one to go with Brock Bowers. He’s going to be all right.”
Bruce Arians Gets Honest About Fernando Mendoza
If minority owner Tom Brady and general manager John Spytek need any convincing that Mendoza is their guy, former NFL head coach Bruce Arians didn’t hold back on his thoughts regarding the Indiana star.
“I think he’s got all the traits, man, and drinking beer is one of them, especially with the offensive line,” Arians said on the Jan. 6 edition of the “Pat McAfee Show.”
“Every quarterback gotta to take care of his offensive line and maybe a top receiver or two. But he’s got all the measurables. The guy can spin it. He’s athletic. Reminds me a lot of Drake Maye coming out—same height, same speed. But yeah, he could place the ball anywhere he wants to put it.”
Fernando Mendoza Has Mental Aspects to Succeed With the Raiders
Moreover, Arians continued his praise of Mendoza, noting that the quarterback has the mental side of the game down, capable of succeeding at the NFL level, whether with the Raiders or another organization.
“I think the volume of defense that young quarterbacks see is just so huge,” Arians added. “They might see four coverages in college, and maybe five blitzes, versus eight or nine different variations of coverage and twenty different blitzes in a game.
“Mendoza looks like he can handle the pressure extremely well. He seems very bright. Haven’t sat down with him; I’d love to sit down with him, put him on the board, and get to know him a little better. But he just looks like he’s got the cerebral part down bad.”
Raiders Put on Notice Amid Fernando Mendoza Draft Link