Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is widely projected to be selected first overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2026 NFL Draft. League evaluators and draft analysts have consistently linked Mendoza to Las Vegas following his 2025 season at Indiana, where he won the Heisman Trophy and led the program to a national championship.

Mendoza completed 68.9 percent of his passes in 2025, throwing for 4,312 yards with 38 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.¹ He operated primarily from a pro-style structure that included under-center snaps, full-field progressions, and defined pocket reads, traits frequently cited by evaluators as translatable to the NFL level.¹

The Raiders hold the No. 1 overall selection after finishing with the league’s worst record in 2025.² Las Vegas enters the offseason without a long-term quarterback under contract, and organizational focus has centered on securing a franchise-level passer at the top of the draft.²

While the Raiders have not publicly committed to Mendoza, draft consensus boards and multiple league reports continue to align him with Las Vegas at No. 1.³ No other prospect has been consistently projected in that position across major mock drafts.

As of now, no selection has been finalized. However, barring a trade or late medical development, Mendoza remains the leading candidate to become the first overall pick and the next quarterback of the Raiders.

Sources

1. Sports-Reference / College Football statistics, Fernando Mendoza 2025 season.

2. NFL standings and 2025 draft order projections.

3. Consensus draft boards and mock draft aggregations, February 2026.

Fernando Mendoza speaks at a public event during the 2025 college football season [Getty Images]

FERNANDO MENDOZA WIDELY EXPECTED TO GO NO. 1 TO LAS VEGAS