Skip to main content
Join Now

Fernando Mendoza, projected No. 1 overall pick to Las Vegas Raiders, not planning to attend NFL Draft

Meby: Nick Geddes04/07/26NickGeddesNews

Former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is not planning on attending the NFL Draft later this month in Pittsburgh, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Mendoza, the projected No. 1 overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders, wants to celebrate the occasion with his family in Miami.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner will become the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall to not attend the NFL Draft since Trevor Lawrence in 2021. The 2020 NFL Draft was done virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so Joe Burrow didn’t get the chance to shake hands with the commissioner when he came off the board first overall.

Mendoza, 22, is the obvious No. 1 overall selection this year with the Raiders owning the pick and still searching for their quarterback of the future. Mendoza is visiting with Las Vegas on Tuesday.

He is coming off a season in which he led the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 record and the program’s first national championship in football. As part of his Heisman Trophy-winning season, Mendoza completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns, to just six interceptions. 

Fernando Mendoza set for NFL Draft, likely to become a Raider

Mendoza shined in his lone season in Bloomington. Next season, he’ll get the chance to show what he can do in the NFL. He admitted following Indiana’s Pro Day last Wednesday that there’s many areas he can improve on.

“I’m putting all of my efforts toward just trying to be the best quarterback possible for the season,” Mendoza said. “But I know at the next level, there’s going to be a lot more snaps under center, and that’s a big adjustment. I need to get used to that and just the nature of the game. Not only that, the hash [marks] are more condensed and the speed of the game is faster. So, all those things I look forward to learning.”

If Las Vegas is indeed the spot, then Mendoza will have some help around him. In place on offense is running back Ashton Jeanty, tight end Brock Bowers, and an improved offensive line on paper which includes free agent pickup, center Tyler Linderbaum. Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was also signed last week.