Despite Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza being the likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft to the Las Vegas Raiders, there is reportedly at least some doubt within the league about his ability to transition successfully.
Speaking to Mike Sando of The Athletic about Mendoza, an anonymous, veteran offensive coach who has evaluated the 2026 quarterback class said, “I don’t think he’s surefire at all. I like the Alabama guy [Ty Simpson] better.”
Mendoza is coming off a legendary final collegiate season at Indiana, which positioned him to be the prospective top pick.
In 16 games last season, Mendoza completed 72.0 percent of his passes for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions, while also rushing for 276 yards and seven scores en route to winning the Heisman Trophy.
On top of that, Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 record and the first national championship in the history of the IU football program.
The proverbial chips seemingly fell in Mendoza’s favor as well with one of the most QB-needy teams in the NFL ending up with the No. 1 overall pick.
Vegas is coming off a 3-14 season that resulted in the firing of Pete Carroll after just one season as head coach. Poor quarterback play from Geno Smith was a major contributing factor to the team’s struggles.
Arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Tom Brady, is a minority owner of the Raiders, and there is little doubt that he would love to put his stamp on the franchise by helping to bring in the next superstar at the quarterback position.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (h/t SI.com’s Carter Landis) reported that it sounded like Mendoza’s interview with the Raiders “went well” at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, adding, “He was especially respectful of Tom Brady. In fact, he kind of made everyone laugh a little bit when he said, ‘Look, I’m going to go out, work hard, do what I do, whether it’s the No. 1 overall pick, or it’s 199.'”
Mendoza has said and done all the right things to this point, but so did many other highly touted prospects who didn’t end up having success in the NFL.
There is always risk involved in the draft, especially at the quarterback position, but the Raiders almost have no choice but to roll the dice on Mendoza given their quarterback situation and the arrival of an offensive guru in Klint Kubiak as their head coach.
Mendoza and Simpson are the only quarterbacks who feel like locks to be first-round picks in the 2026 draft, but Simpson may have to wait until the mid-to-late first to hear his name called.
Even with there being some detractors, Mendoza’s wait will likely be much shorter, as he figures to be looked upon to be the savior of the Raiders franchise.
