Jets GM Among Execs Scouting Fernando Mendoza at Indiana vs. PSU Ahead of NFL Draft

Fresh off adding an extra first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the New York Jets sent some of their key decision-makers to Happy Valley where Fernando Mendoza will lead Indiana against Penn State on Saturday afternoon.

Per ESPN's Jordan Reid, Jets general manager Darren Mougey and senior football advisor Rick Spielman are part of a "heavy contingent" from the organization in attendance at Beaver Stadium.

There are several other high-profile prospects who could be in the '26 draft playing in the game, including Penn State's Zakee Wheatley, Olaivavega Ioane and Dani Dennis-Sutton.

Indiana also has wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and offensive tackle Carter Smith.

However, Mendoza is the headliner in this game, especially for a Jets team that is certainly in the market for a quarterback and could end up picking No. 1 overall in April's draft.

Even if the Jets don't land the top pick, they added an extra first-round pick in this year's draft and two additional first-rounders in 2027 as part of their trade deadline deals involving Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams.

No team is better positioned to make a move into the No. 1 spot than the Jets if they don't get it on their own.

B/R's NFL scouting department has Mendoza ranked as the top quarterback prospect and No. 5 overall player in the 2026 draft class. He was projected to be the No. 1 pick in the department's latest mock draft that dropped on Wednesday.

The Jets are currently in the No. 3 spot in the draft, behind the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans. Those three teams are currently tied for the fewest wins in the NFL (one), but the Jets have one fewer loss because they've had their bye week.

After clearly signaling a full-scale rebuild this week by trading arguably their two best players on either side of the ball, the Jets have to focus all of their attention on getting these next two drafts right with eight picks in the first two rounds between 2026 and '27.

Hitting on most of those selections gives the Jets their best path to relevance. Mendoza is the early favorite to be the top pick in the draft, so their ability to get an in-person look at him in a high-profile game on the road could go a long way toward helping them plan out their agenda for the spring.