Dez Bryant: Fernando Mendoza 'better' than Sam Bradford

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza‘s stock is through the roof. When quarterbacks coach Quincy Avery attempted to compare Mendoza to 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant shut him down.

“No.. and Mendoza better,” Bryant wrote on X.

In the 2008 campaign, Bradford completed 67.9% of his pass attempts for 4,721 yards and 50 touchdowns, compared to eight interceptions. He played 14 games for Oklahoma and the Sooners to a national championship appearance before ultimately losing to Florida.

For comparison, Mendoza entered the Peach Bowl on Friday with 14 appearances this season. He’d completed 72.3% of his pass attempts for 36 touchdowns, while only throwing six interceptions.

Simply put, Bradford’s Heisman season was statistically better than Mendoza’s. Nonetheless, Dez Bryant believes the Indiana standout is more talented than Bradford was in his heyday.

Of course, Bryant’s view may be tainted by Bradford’s lackluster NFL career. Bradford spent eight seasons in the NFL, but never reached the same heights he’d accomplished in college.

In fairness, Bradford’s NFL career was far from a failure. He was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010 and the NFL completion percentage leader in 2016. Alas, Bryant clearly expects Mendoza to accomplish even more at the professional level.

Bryant isn’t alone in his appreciation of Mendoza. ESPN’s NFL Draft expert, Mel Kiper Jr., named Mendoza to be the No. 2 pick in his latest big board.

“Mendoza is getting the ball out quicker. And while he doesn’t have a huge arm, he can make all the necessary NFL-level throws,” Kiper wrote. “His ball placement is fantastic. I wouldn’t consider him a dual threat, but Mendoza also has enough mobility to pick up first downs as a scrambler.”

On Friday, Fernando Mendoza only added to his prestige by boosting the Hoosiers to a dominant win over Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal. In the triumph, Mendoza completed 17-of-his-20 pass attempts for 177 yards and five touchdowns, without throwing an interception.

Now, Mendoza will have a chance to further cement his status as a college football legend. On Jan. 19, Indiana will face off against Miami in the national championship. The game will air live on ESPN.