Las Vegas Raiders select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with No. 1 pick in 2026 NFL Draft

AFC EastBillsDolphinsJetsPatriotsAFC NorthBengalsBrownsRavensSteelersAFC SouthColtsJaguarsTexansTitansAFC WestBroncosChargersChiefsRaidersNFC EastCommandersCowboysEaglesGiantsNFC NorthBearsLionsPackersVikingsNFC SouthBuccaneersFalconsPanthersSaintsNFC West49ersCardinalsRamsSeahawksScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyNFL OddsNFL PicksNFL DraftPodcastsScoop City NewsletterNFL Draft UpdatesThe BeastConsensus RankingsTop 300 Rankings7-Round Draft Order2026 NFL Draft Fernando Mendoza took college football by storm after transferring from Cal to Indiana for the 2025 season. Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images Share article2The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft. The Las Vegas Raiders made Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday. Mendoza is the first player since LSU’s Joe Burrow in 2020 to be selected first immediately after winning a national championship and the Heisman Trophy. The Big Ten’s first Heisman winner since Troy Smith in 2006, Mendoza swept the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Davey O’Brien Award and the Manning Award en route to a national title run with the Hoosiers. He led the FBS in passing touchdowns (41) and in points responsible for with 288. Mendoza transferred to Indiana from Cal in the 2025 offseason and became the first Football Bowl Subdivision quarterback since 1996 to post a completion rate above 90 percent and four touchdown passes in multiple games against Power 4 competition. His 10.8 percent touchdown rate led the FBS. He led a signature 80-yard touchdown drive over the final 1:51 at Penn State in November to keep Indiana undefeated, then helped the Hoosiers sweep four consecutive top-10 opponents — Ohio State for the Big Ten championship and Alabama, Oregon and Miami in the CFP — to win the program’s first national championship. Mendoza ranked No. 3 in Dane Brugler’s top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide: “Mendoza thrived in offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan’s RPO-heavy offense. He earned starter-level grades from NFL scouts after the 2024 season, despite having three offensive coordinators in his three seasons at Cal. He elevated his profile even further with a special, Heisman-winning performance in 2025 and separated himself as the NFL Draft’s clear QB1. “Mendoza has an outstanding feel for touch, placement and layering throws, and he’s an elite back-shoulder thrower. With his toughness (both mental and physical), he moves on from negative plays immediately and shows a knack for finding clutch completions in adverse situations.” The clear QB1: intuition, throwing accuracy and confidence are superpowers. What a Big Ten linebacker coach had to say about Mendoza in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft: “It seems like he’s made of the right stuff. What impressed me most about Mendoza is that one of our D-linemen got a hell of a shot on him, and he knocked the wind out of him. But he came right back.” Mendoza is a natural match for new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak’s scheme. He’s decisive and boasts elite accuracy, both traits desirable for the quick passing and play-action heavy offense. His toughness and deep-ball placement add another layer to his game. Mendoza must adapt to playing under center and straying from the run-pass options he relied on in college, but he’s already begun that transition, working with NFL veteran and former San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese during the pre-draft process. — Sam Warren, Raiders beat writer The Raiders took the pressure to play right away off Mendoza when they signed Kirk Cousins in free agency this month. The rookie will enter the pros as a backup to Cousins and spend this offseason learning from the veteran. General manager John Spytek has left the starting spot open for now, saying “the best man will play.” It’s possible that Mendoza wins the QB1 job out of training camp, but in all likelihood, Cousins will begin the season as the starter before Mendoza takes over. — Warren No one else. The Raiders had the No. 1 pick in the draft at a time when they needed a quarterback. Mendoza is the consensus top signal-caller in this class and a strong fit for what Kubiak wants to do offensively. An argument could be made to have traded the pick and angled for the top spot in what’s projected to be a loaded 2027 quarterback draft, but Las Vegas had the chance to get its guy right now and chose not to wait. — Warren Mendoza is a proven winner, a characteristic the Raiders have made an effort to get in the building this offseason after four straight losing seasons. He is precise enough to run Kubiak’s offense, which requires execution more than extraordinary talent from the quarterback, and he has the charisma and confidence for an organization to rally behind. If all goes to plan, Mendoza can help usher in a new era of success in Las Vegas. — Warren Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms