The 2026 NFL Draft is set to take place in Pittsburgh, Pa., from April 23-25, with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza widely expected to go to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 1 overall.
Mendoza reportedly visited the Raiders on Tuesday and does not plan to meet with other NFL teams before the draft.
Mendoza will likely be the first player to hear his name called by commissioner Roger Goodell later this month, but he has reportedly decided to skip the draft in favor of sharing the moment with his family, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
Projected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza has informed the NFL that he is not planning to attend the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh this month, per sources. Mendoza wants to share the draft experience with his family in Miami. pic.twitter.com/ApUc7UmIDX
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 7, 2026
Mendoza’s decision isn’t all that surprising as his mother, Elsa, has battled multiple sclerosis for more than 15 years and is currently using a wheelchair. That likely played a role in his choice to skip the draft and be at home with his family instead.
It also isn’t out of the ordinary for projected No. 1 picks to skip the NFL Draft as Travon Walker (2022), Trevor Lawrence (2021), Baker Mayfield (2018) and Myles Garrett (2017) all opted to spend the night with their families at different locations.
Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy and led the Hoosiers to a national championship last season, has a lot of people in the Raiders building excited that he can be the franchise’s quarterback of the future.
However, it isn’t guaranteed that he will start for the team right away as they recently signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to potentially hold things down while the 22-year-old gets accustomed to the NFL.
Fernando Mendoza would love to be mentored by Tom Brady with Raiders
After his previous meeting with the Raiders at the NFL Combine, Mendoza expressed his admiration for Tom Brady and what it would mean to potentially learn from him.
“Yeah, I mean, who hasn’t admired Tom Brady? I mean, more Super Bowl rings than anybody … anybody!” Mendoza said. “So, that opportunity would be fantastic. Tom Brady, I believe, is the greatest quarterback of all time — by a wide margin — and to be able to have the opportunity to be mentored by him, would … mean so much.
“Especially to learn, and I’m all about learning. So from Day 1, you know, I’ve got to learn a lot. It’s gonna be a long journey, and to potentially have a mentor like that, it would be pretty impressive and pretty meaningful.”
