Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza Slotted No. 1 Overall in CBS Sports Mock Draft

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football is nearing the start of perhaps the most anticipated season in program history, and lofty expectations have extended from the team's record down to its quarterback.

Fernando Mendoza, the Hoosiers' starting signal caller, has generated steady buzz in 2026 NFL mock drafts this summer. The hype peaked Wednesday.

CBS Sports draft writer Mike Renner has the Cleveland Browns selecting Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, under the guise Texas redshirt sophomore quarterback Arch Manning won't be part of the class.

"The Browns will almost certainly be going quarterback if they end up picking No. 1 overall," Renner wrote, "and with Arch Manning expected to return to school, Fernando Mendoza feels like the best fit of the bunch for head coach Kevin Stefanski's offense (should the two-time NFL Coach of the Year be retained).

"He's got a plus NFL arm paired with quick decision-making and tight-window accuracy. He'll get a chance to shine on a bigger stage this year at Indiana after carrying Cal the past two seasons."

Mendoza was the first of five quarterbacks selected in the opening frame of Renner's projections, joining LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, Clemson's Cade Klubnik and Oklahoma's John Mateer.

In July, ESPN put Mendoza's odds of being the No. 1 pick at 12%, with draft insider Jordan Reid dubbing him a potential riser.

It's been 31 years since an Indiana player went in the first round of the NFL draft, and only five Indiana players have been selected in the opening frame since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. None went in the top five. The Hoosiers' lone No. 1 pick came in 1938, when the Cleveland Rams selected Corbett Davis.

Babe Laufenberg, who went No. 168 overall to the now-Washington Commanders in 1983, is the highest-drafted quarterback in program history. Among those who finished their college career in Bloomington, the Hoosiers have never had a quarterback drafted earlier than the sixth round.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Mendoza will replace Kurtis Rourke as the Hoosiers' quarterback. Mendoza, who transferred from Cal to Indiana in the winter, completed 68.7% of his passes for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding two rushing scores in 2024.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said Monday he's confident in Mendoza due to his two years of starting experience, and Cignetti noted earlier this summer Mendoza is more mobile and has a stronger arm than Rourke.

"He's a big guy that is very mobile," Cignetti said during fall camp. "Got a quick whip and good velocity on the ball and can really drive it. So, he's done a nice job of learning the offense and still not perfect, but nobody out there is."

Mendoza starts his quest to be the No. 1 overall pick at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, when Indiana hosts Old Dominion at Merchants Bank Field inside Memorial Stadium.

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