Ex-Cal Stars Fernando Mendoza, Jack Endries Among Top NFL Draft Prospects

ESPN experts rank the top five 2026 draft prospects at each position, and quarterback Mendoza and tight end Endries are included

Fernando Mendoza and Jack Endries join Pitt lineman Jackson Brown, who transferred from Cal after the 2022 season / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jordan Reid ranked the top five prospects for the 2026 NFL draft at each position, and the results, which were posted on Friday, will be a gut punch to Cal football fans.

No players on Cal’s 2026 roster are listed in these speculative rankings, but two players who were Golden Bears last season but have transferred to other schools are ranked.

Interestingly both players were virtual nobodies coming out of high school, but Cal saw something in each and brought them into its football program and watched them develop into stars who became attractive transfer-portal material.

Fernando Mendoza, Cal’s starting quarterback the past two seasons who is now at Indiana, is ranked as the third-best quarterback prospect for the 2026 NFL draft by Miller and the fifth-best by Reid.  If they are right and Mendoza enters the draft after this season, he might be a first-round NFL pick next April.

And remember, Mendoza was all set to go to Yale before Cal, at the last minute, became the first and only Division I school to offer him a scholarship. That prompted Mendoza to move cross country from his home in Miami to attend Cal for three seasons (including a freshman season in which he redshirted). He started his redshirt season as Cal’s third-string quarterback, became the starter midway through the 2023 season and has improved ever since.

Here are the ESPN experts top five quarterback prospects:

Quarterback

Miller's top five

--- 1. Cade Klubnik, Clemson

---2. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

---3. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

---4. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

---5. Drew Allar, Penn State

Reid's top five

---1. Cade Klubnik, Clemson

---2. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

---3. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

---4. Drew Allar, Penn State

---5. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

Tight end is the other position that features a former Cal standout, Jack Endries.  Endries came to Cal as a walk-on, became a starter as a redshirt freshman, earned a scholarship and caught 91 passes for 1,034 yards and four touchdowns in his two seasons as a Golden Bears starter. He was Cal's leading receiver in 2024.

Now he is at Texas, and Miller ranks Endries as the second-best tight-end prospect for next spring’s NFL draft while Reid ranks him No. 4 at the position. Endries has two seasons of eligibility left, so it remains unclear whether he would enter the 2026 NFL draft.  It no doubt will depend on his 2025 season.

Tight end

Miller's top five

---1, Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

---2. Jack Endries, Texas

---3. Kenyon Sadig, Oregon

---4. Max Klare, Ohio State

---5. Joe Royer, Cincinnati

Reid's top five

---1. Kenyon Sadig, Oregon

---2. Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

---3. Max Klare, Ohio State

---4. Jack Endries, Texas

---5. Joe Royer, Cincinnati

A week ago ESPN rated Mendoza and Endries as two of its 10 under-the-radar NFL draft prospects with these assessments:

Jack Endries, TE, Texas

The Longhorns have heavily utilized their tight ends the past two seasons, with Ja’Tavion Sanders and Gunnar Helm being the featured targets. Endries has a chance to be the best of the trio.

At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, the Cal transfer is built more like Sanders and has the versatility to be a flex tight end who can line up in the slot, backfield or in-line next to the offensive tackle. Endries grabbed 56 passes for 623 yards and two scores as a sophomore last season with only one drop, showcasing his strong hands.

"[Texas coach Steve Sarkisian] is doing a great job developing tight ends and working his offense around them, but I wonder how much Endries will see the ball with Arch Manning's deep ball," one AFC West national scout said before adding that Endries' versatility should shine in Austin. "He's such a good athlete and he can play anywhere. He's one of the two most talented tight ends in the country."

Endries has two seasons of eligibility remaining, so he's not a lock to be in the 2026 draft. But expect his name to be mentioned a bunch in the lead-up to the season.

Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

Who will be the transfer quarterback to rocket up draft boards this year? A lot of early buzz is centered around former Cal quarterback Mendoza ... and for good reason. After a breakout last season in which he threw for 3,004 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions, Mendoza transferred to Indiana to play in Curt Cignetti's Air Raid offense. Expectations soon followed the redshirt junior, especially considering Cignetti's scheme and the presence of legit NFL wide receiver prospect Elijah Sarratt on Indiana's roster.

At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Mendoza has ideal size, a quick release, fast decision-making and the arm talent to power the ball to every area of the field.

"Watch that dude throw back-shoulder fades and you see the touch, timing and power to be a baller in the NFL," another regional NFC East scout said. He added that Mendoza's toughness is also a key trait but worries about residual effects from the offensive line he played behind last season.

"He got hit and pressured a lot last year behind a bad O-line, so that's something to watch for this year. Is he a little traumatized by what he had in front of him last year?" the same scout said.

A two-star recruit coming out of high school, Mendoza has been slept on since originally committing to Yale. Bigger names like Allar, Manning and Beck might drive early quarterback talk, but Mendoza has fans in the NFL.

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