Indiana football 2026 NFL Draft: Information on Fernando Mendoza and other Hoosiers prospects

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Indiana football 2026 NFL Draft: Information on Fernando Mendoza and other Hoosiers prospects

The Indiana Hoosiers aren’t just the NCAA football champions, they are sending a slew of great prospects to the 2026 NFL Draft. With that level of talent, we are hosting a Q&A with the NFL fans around SB Nation’s extensive network.

Here are a few sentences on each potential Indiana football player heading to the NFL, but I encourage you to drop your questions into the comments below. (If you’re visiting from and NFL team site and are logged in, you don’t need a new account.)

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What Indiana football players are going to be drafted in 2026?

Here is a list of the players that have a shot of being drafted in 2026, including some players that could end up as undrafted free agents at the next level.

Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, is widely projected to land with the Las Vegas Raiders given their pick at No. 1 overall. He transferred to Indiana last offseason after spending three seasons at Cal, starting for the Golden Bears in the latter two.

Mendoza completed 72% of his passing attempts for 3,535 yards and led the nation in passing touchdowns with 41 to just six interceptions. Standing at 6’5”, he has the size to see the field well. Indiana’s offense gave Mendoza plenty of opportunities to run RPOs to let receivers pick up yards after the catch with occasional shots downfield and he improved in every game he started.

Cooper Jr. is one of a handful of players to have spent his entire college career at Indiana, having committed to the Hoosiers out of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis.

He was Indiana’s top target at receiver in 2025 after being second in 2025. He excels at winning matchups off the line and picking up yards after the catch with a combination of strength and elusiveness in the open field. Additionally, he’s hauled in plenty of acrobatic, difficult catches in each of his seasons as a contributor. He’s got legit NFL tools.

Sarratt transferred to Indiana ahead of the 2024 season from James Madison, joining head coach Curt Cignetti and wide receivers coach/offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan (not that one) in Bloomington. He spent one season with the Dukes after transferring in from St. Francis (PA).

Sarratt was Indiana’s leading receiver in 2024 and was just behind Cooper Jr. in 2025, missing time with a minor injury. Like Cooper Jr., Sarratt wins matchups off the line of scrimmage and picks up yards after the catch with a strong frame to box out defenders and pick up yards through contact.

Ponds transferred to Indiana ahead of the 2024 season after earning FWAA Freshman All-America honors in his one season at JMU.

His height is going to be the first point of discussion, he’s hovering somewhere between 5’9” and 5’11”. That size would normally put him in the slot, but he spent his college career in coverage against outside receivers. What he lacks in size he makes up for in football IQ, physicality and overall play. Indiana’s defense put a lot of weight on Ponds’ shoulders and he delivered throughout the season. He isn’t afraid to dish out a hit, forcing a fumble in the Rose Bowl on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson during the Crimson Tide’s most promising drive.

Moore originally transferred out of Indiana when Cignetti was hired, joining Ole Miss for the 2024 season before transferring back to Bloomington for 2025.

He’s in the right place at the right time more often than he isn’t, frequently getting in position to make plays on the ball when someone actually throws in his direction.

Kamara, like many others, is a former JMU transfer who was productive in the Sun Belt before making the jump to the Big Ten in 2024.

The first thing that’ll come up with Kamara is his apparent dropoff in production between 2024 and 2025, but that’s not necessarily the full story. Kamara went for 10 sacks in 2024 and just two in 2025, but his role changed ahead of the 2025 season, moving to the “stud” position in Indiana’s defense that gave him some outside linebacker duties. He was one of the most productive pass rushers in the Big Ten, leading the conference in quarterback pressures. He can produce as part of a team’s pass rush rotation, like several good college edge rushers before him.

Aiden Fisher joined Indiana ahead of the 2025 season

Coogan transferred to Indiana from Notre Dame ahead of the 2025 season with a starting spot at center open on the Hoosiers’ offensive line.

Black was a starter at JMU during the 2023 season before being Indiana’s third option out of the backfield in 2024.

Hemby transferred into Indiana ahead of the 2025 season after several years starring at Maryland, his home state’s flagship program.

Nowakowski transferred into Indiana ahead of the 2025 season after spending the majority of his career at Wisconsin under Paul Chryst and Luke Fickell.

Boykin joined Indiana ahead of the 2025 season after spending the majority of his career at NC State and sitting out the 2024 season due to injury.