Heisman-winning Indiana quarterback the Raiders made the No. 1 overall pick in 2026.
Fernando Mendoza is the quarterback the Las Vegas Raiders selected first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. He arrives in Las Vegas as a Heisman Trophy winner who led Indiana to an undefeated national title season. The Raiders are building their offense around him as the face of the franchise.
Path to the league
Mendoza led Indiana to a 16-0 record and a College Football Playoff national championship in 2025, per NFL.com. He paced the FBS with 41 passing touchdowns and ranked third nationally with a 72% completion rate before declaring for the draft.
Career highlights
His 2025 haul was about as complete as it gets: the Heisman Trophy, the Walter Camp Award, the Davey O'Brien Award, the Maxwell Award and consensus first-team AP All-American honors, per NFL.com. He became just the third player in the common draft era to win the Heisman and a national title and go first overall the next spring, joining Joe Burrow and Cam Newton.
2025 season
Mendoza's championship season carried him to the top of the draft board. He is the fifth Heisman winner drafted by the Raiders organization, following Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson, Tim Brown and Charles Woodson.
Sources
- NFL.com: Raiders select Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall
- ESPN: Fernando Mendoza player page
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Quarterback
- Group
- offense
- College
- Indiana
- Hometown
- Miami, FL, USA
- Age
- 22
- Status
- active
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