Where Fernando Mendoza Ranks vs. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Maye, Dart, More QBs by NFL Scouts

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, but it sounds like that wouldn't be the case if he were a member of a previous draft class.

As NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported, "Asked to rank Mendoza as a prospect if combining the 2024, 2025 and 2026 draft classes, NFL scouts and coaches placed him between third and seventh – unanimously behind Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels and, for many, also behind some combination of Drake Maye, Bo Nix, Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart."

An NFC executive explained that while Mendoza is a polished passer from the pocket, the other quarterbacks all excel in escaping pressure, which is something a rookie signal-caller will undoubtedly have to get used to in the NFL.

"The tough part is when you're factoring in especially those guys from last year, all those top guys could create off-platform," the exec told Pelissero. "That's not (Mendoza's) game, in terms of at the same clip. Just go back and find me the last rookie quarterback that was successful winning from the pocket. It's very hard to win from the pocket consistently as a rookie. That's why the guys that you see have the most success are the guys that can win off-platform, because it buys them time with their legs and with loose plays as the games slows down for them above the neck. All those things become really at a premium when you're reading from the pocket where you can't really have those lags."

After winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy and leading Indiana to an undefeated season and its first national championship in program history, Mendoza firmly established himself as the top quarterback prospect in the 2026 draft. However, this year's draft class is notoriously weak at the position, due in part to some players choosing to stay in school.

According to Pelissero, "Several executives raised the possibility that one of the QBs who got big money to stay in college – including Oregon's Dante Moore and perhaps Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby, who transferred to Texas Tech for a $6 million NIL deal – could've risen past him in the pre-draft process."

Still, Mendoza will be the first person to hear his name called when the 2026 draft commences on Thursday night, and it will be up to the Raiders to set him up for success in the NFL.