Fernando Mendoza wants to share his talents to his fellow Indiana teammates.
Mendoza, who is the consensus No. 1 selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, will not be throwing at the combine this upcoming week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Saturday.
Rather than throwing at the combine, Mendoza will be throwing at Indiana’s pro day on April 1 because the school has receivers that the 2025 Heisman winner wants to help showcase, according to Schefter.
Mendoza has previously expressed his preference to his own offense at Indiana’s pro day compared to the random receivers quarterbacks get at the combine, saying on “The Pat McAfee Show” earlier this month that he wants to be “with the boys.”
“At the combine, you’re throwing to different receivers, it’s a whole different thing,” Mendoza said. “And I want to make sure I give my guys the best chance.
“I want to throw at pro day with my guys, with my running backs and be there with the boys.”
As the projected No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, Mendoza is expected to be selected by the Raiders, with the 22-year-old saying on Monday that he would be “blessed” to play for them.
“I’d be blessed and honored to play for the Raiders, or I’d be blessed to play for any team,” he told reporters while receiving Davey O’Brien Award as the country’s top college quarterback, according to FOX Sports. “Any NFL team that drafts me, I’d be ecstatic.
“I know at the draft, I’ll probably shed a tear or two just because it’s such a full-circle moment for me. … The goal of transferring to Indiana was to make the NFL. It wasn’t to be a great college player. It was to try to develop into being an NFL quarterback one day.”
Mendoza proved to be the top college quarterback in a magical run for Indiana this past season, throwing for 3,535 passing yards — on a 72.0 percent completion percentage — along with a NCAA-leading 41 touchdowns while helping lead the Hoosiers to an undefeated season and the College Football Playoff National Championship.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
