NFL Scout Predicts QB Fernando Mendoza to ‘Be a Bigger Riser’ Ahead of 2026 Draft

Indiana was the surprise of the college football world last season when it reached the College Football Playoff with Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke showing enough at quarterback to be a seventh-round NFL draft pick.

Now the Hoosiers have a quarterback in Fernando Mendoza who has a higher ceiling after transferring from Cal to play for head coach Curt Cignetti, and the NFL will be paying attention.

“I really liked Mendoza’s tape,” an NFC scout said, per ESPN’s Jordan Reid. “He’s the one to circle that could be a bigger riser, and Cignetti has a great track record with transfer QBs.”

Reid highlighted his “strong arm with plus mobility for his size” at 6’5″, which allows him to “stand and deliver in the pocket with ease” and make plays outside of the pocket when on the move.

While he was not included in the first round of an April mock draft from B/R’s NFL Scouting Department, Mendoza will have the opportunity to play his way up draft boards under the spotlight the Big Ten presents.

Indiana faces Penn State, Oregon, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, among others, and could once again be a factor in the CFP race if Mendoza improves on what he did at Cal.

He completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 105 yards and two scores on the ground as a runner. He seemed to improve as the season progressed and threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Oregon State and 299 yards and three touchdowns in a win over rival Stanford.

The Hoosiers were surely intrigued by that finish to the season and brought him into the Big Ten.

And now the NFL might be intrigued if he can play even better in 2025.