Fernando Mendoza Going Pro; So Now Comes Hard NFL Scouting Scrutiny And Evaluations

Fernando Mendoza, Heisman Trophy winner and National Championship starting quarterback, did the expected thing Friday morning and declared for the NFL draft. Now comes the hard part.

Mendoza Declares For NFL Draft

Mendoza, 22, announced his intentions on Instagram, of course, because he's a Gen Z product.

"Let's get to work," he wrote. "I'm humbled to announce that I am officially declaring for the 2026 NFL draft."

Cool. So, what happens next?

Mendoza could join Joe Burrow and Cam Newton in going undefeated, winning the national championship, after winning the Heisman Trophy, and then becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. 

That's a lottery ticket year. But it requires work and meeting high expectations.  

The first of those expectations is Mendoza will begin training for the NFL Scouting Combine that begins Feb. 23 and runs through March 2.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Photo: Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NFL Combine Begins Evaluations

The combine will begin the evaluation portion of the process with perhaps a handful of teams meeting with Mendoza, starting of course, with the Las Vegas Raiders, who own the No. 1 overall pick. And let's just say right now that if Mendoza doesn't go No. 1 to the Raiders, something went wrong or things got wild.

That evaluation process will obviously involve multiple NFL scouting departments and myriad online former pro scouts, anonymous scouts, amateur scouts, etc.

One current NFL scout who texted OutKick Friday morning declined to give his full opinion of the player for competitive reasons but suggested these comparables:

Sam Darnold.

Jared Goff.

That's good, no? Goff was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 draft. And Darnold was the No. 3 pick of the 2018 draft.

But we need more.

Scouts And Experts Have Opinions

This from First Round Mock, which is a site run by former New York Jets Scout Daniel Kelly: 

"Most of the time, it looked like Mendoza's throwing locations were pre-determined before the ball was snapped. He's a one-to-two-read quarterback who played in a heavy RPO (run-pass option) offense. Most throws were first read. 

Former NFL backup QB Chase Daniel has a more favorable assessment:

"This is what a Tom Brady QB looks like," Daniel offered on X. "It's never been more clear."

Daniel said that when Mendoza ran over a couple of University of Miami defenders on a fourth-down quarterback draw and scored a touchdown.  

It was an outstanding effort that Brady would obviously appreciate. But there's more to being an effective NFL quarterback than wanting to be an effective NFL quarterback.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts after a second quarter touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026.  (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Scout: Mendoza Not Joe Burrow

During his three-year college career, which began with two seasons at the University of California, Mendoza completed 68.6 percent of his passes. That's very good.

During Indiana's CFP run, he threw eight TD passes and only five incompletions against Alabama and Oregon – so, yes, he showed up in big moments. 

He's accurate. He has good (not great) arm strength that is more than functional for the NFL game. He is very intelligent. He is a worker. His mobility is good, but he's not a creator. No one is going to mistake him for dual-threat quarterback.

"The Joe Burrow comparisons are overdone," another NFL scout told OutKick. "But the kid has great heart and resiliency. That's not a question."