Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza joined the Las Vegas Raiders as the number one overall NFL Draft 2026 pick on Thursday.
The 22-year-old won the Heisman Trophy for the best college player after leading his team to the national championship.
Raiders general manager John Spytek called Mendoza “a great person”. “He’s about the right things: it’s about his team, it’s about winning,” added Spytek.
101GreatGoals.com takes a look at the number one pick in the draft and has the full first round results, as well as details on how to follow the forthcoming rounds.
Why the Las Vegas Raiders have signed Fernando Mendoza
The 6ft 4in sensation was the Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Quarterback of the Year and named in the first-team All-Big Ten.
“He’s just so hungry for anything football,” observed Spytek. “Anybody he’s around that he can draw something from or learn something from, he’s into it.
“There’s a humility to him that I really respect. That can be underrated in our profession – especially with the players – but there’s a humility and a self awareness to him that he knows this is a really big jump.
“We’re going to support him organizationally the best that we can. He knows that the guys in that room, Kirk [cousins] and Aidan [O’Connell], have played a lot of good football in this league and I’m sure he’ll learn a lot from them, and he knows that.
“[For him] it’s about doing the right thing, being accountable to the whole organization. It’s very little to do with all the accolades he got after [Indiana] won all those games.
“He’s really smart. He works really hard. This means a lot to him. I don’t think that being the first overall pick and winning the Heisman and all the things that he’s gotten will change him.
“I think it will actually make him work harder to prove that he’s worth all that and then earn even more.”
John Spytek addresses the media to recap Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. https://t.co/iZean2rTr1
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 24, 2026
Tom Brady: Las Vegas Raiders co-owner ‘wished Mendoza best’
Mendoza, who did not attend the ceremony, has said that working with Raiders co-owner and NFL icon Tom Brady “would mean the world”.
“He’s stated that he’s going to pour into whatever quarterback they take,” Mendoza told The Rich Eisner Show of Brady.
“To have that opportunity would be great. He’d be a boss, so it wouldn’t be like six-year-old Fernando envisioned it – being best friends.
“It’d be cool and I want to be pushed to be the best quarterback I can become, say what I’m all about and live that experience.”
Mendoza had already spoken to seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady and visited the Raiders’ facilities before the draft.
“He was on FaceTime for around 15 seconds, just saying hello and good luck,” Mendoza explained.
“He wished me the best. To see the involvement that team has with its ownership from the top down is very invigorating and very exciting.”
Fernando Mendoza stats: Quarterback’s record
Since 2024, Mendoza has thrown 39 touchdowns with no interceptions in the red zone, according to Pro Football Focus (via NFL.com).
Born in Boston, the California graduate joined Indiana and posted 3,535 passing yards with a 41-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
He rushed for seven scores during an undefeated 16-game season for Indiana, culminating in a 27-21 championship win over Miami.
NFL Draft 2026 results: First round picks
Here’s the full list of picks from the first round, which took place on April 24, 2026.
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | Las Vegas Raiders | Fernando Mendoza | QB | Indiana |
| 2 | New York Jets | David Bailey | LB | Texas Tech |
| 3 | Arizona Cardinals | Jeremiyah Love | RB | Notre Dame |
| 4 | Tennessee Titans | Carnell Tate | WR | Ohio State |
| 5 | New York Giants | Arvell Reese | LB | Ohio State |
| 6 | Kansas City Chiefs | Mansoor Delane | CB | LSU |
| 7 | Washington Commanders | Sonny Styles | LB | Ohio State |
| 8 | New Orleans Saints | Jordyn Tyson | WR | Arizona State |
| 9 | Cleveland Browns | Spencer Fano | OT | Utah |
| 10 | New York Giants | Francis Mauigoa | OT | Miami |
| 11 | Dallas Cowboys | Caleb Downs | S | Ohio State |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins | Kadyn Proctor | OT | Alabama |
| 13 | Los Angeles Rams | Ty Simpson | QB | Alabama |
| 14 | Baltimore Ravens | Vega Ioane | G | Penn State |
| 15 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Rueben Bain Jr. | DE | Miami |
| 16 | New York Jets | Kenyon Sadiq | TE | Oregon |
| 17 | Detroit Lions | Blake Miller | OT | Clemson |
| 18 | Minnesota Vikings | Caleb Banks | DE | Florida |
| 19 | Carolina Panthers | Monroe Freeling | OT | Georgia |
| 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | Makai Lemon | WR | USC |
| 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Max Iheanachor | OT | Arizona State |
| 22 | Los Angeles Chargers | Akheem Mesidor | LB | Miami |
| 23 | Dallas Cowboys | Malachi Lawrence | DE | UCF |
| 24 | Cleveland Browns | KC Concepcion | WR | Texas A&M |
| 25 | Chicago Bears | Dillon Thieneman | S | Oregon |
| 26 | Houston Texans | Keylan Rutledge | G | Georgia Tech |
| 27 | Miami Dolphins | Chris Johnson | CB | San Diego State |
| 28 | New England Patriots | Caleb Lomu | OT | Utah |
| 29 | Kansas City Chiefs | Peter Woods | DT | Clemson |
| 30 | New York Jets | Omar Cooper Jr. | WR | Indiana |
| 31 | Tennessee Titans | Keldric Faulk | DE | Auburn |
| 32 | Seattle Seahawks | Jadarian Price | RB | Notre Dame |
When is the rest of the NFL Draft? US and UK times 2026
Rounds two and three are on Friday, followed by rounds four to seven on Saturday.
Asterisk denotes start time next day.
| Date | Round | ET start time | PT | BST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Apr 24 | 2-3 | 19:00 | 16:00 | 00:00 |
| Sat, Apr 25 | 4-7 | 12:00 | 09:00 | 17:00 |
Where to watch the NFL Draft 2026 in the US and UK
In the US, fans can watch the Draft on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network.
ABC is available through ESPN Plus, starting at $29.99 per month.
Disney Plus and Hulu will also stream ESPN, ABC and ESPN Deportes’ NFL Draft presentations throughout the event.
In the UK, the Draft is free to watch on DAZN’s NFL Game Pass.
How to watch the NFL Draft 2026: TV channel, live online stream
All of the broadcast platforms are available on a vast variety of devices including TVs and have accompanying ESPN and DAZN apps.
