Unsurprisingly, Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy, given to the best player in college football. Mendoza has led his Indiana Hoosiers to that top rank in the country, and they could win the entire college football playoff this year.
Now that we are approaching the new year, the 2026 NFL Draft only begins to creep closer, and it does appear to be a rather strong QB class. Other names like Ty Simpson and Dante Moore could hear their names called early on.
And in today's NFL, the quarterback position is everything, and no team is going to sustain long-term success without high-end QB play, so there is going to be a ton of attention put on this 2026 QB class in the coming weeks and months. Which three teams need to do whatever it takes to land Fernando Mendoza in the 2026 NFL Draft?
These three teams have to do whatever it takes to land Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza in the NFL Draft
Las Vegas Raiders (2nd overall pick)
The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the second overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and could indeed rise up one more slot, owning that first overall pick themselves. To say it's been a bad year for the Raiders would be an understatement. This front office traded legitimate NFL Draft capital for Geno Smith, who has been among the worst players in the NFL this year.
The Raiders have to move on from Smith in some capacity this coming offseason, and with the Raiders being in a division with three other franchise QBs, they have to get serious about this position. Last year, the Chiefs, Chargers, and Broncos all won double-digit games and made the playoffs, and that could again happen this year.
Vegas has to make a huge push for Fernando Mendoza in April.
Cleveland Browns (4th overall pick)
The Cleveland Browns own the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and they also have the 27th overall pick, as the Jacksonville Jaguars' first-rounder belongs to them due to the Travis Hunter trade. If nothing else, the Browns' rookie class in 2025 seems to be one of the best in the league, and it does feel like GM Andrew Berry is going to get another shot at fixing this team.
On paper, the Browns might truly only be a few key offensive players away from fielding a formidable team, as the defense is playoff-caliber, but, as we all know, the offense is simply not good enough. Berry hit on rookies on offense like Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr, and those two players could become long-term fixtures on the team.
The Browns should see if their two first-round picks in 2026 could be packaged to move up high enough to land Fernando Mendoza in the 2026 NFL Draft, as the team might only be competent QB away from competing for the playoffs, and Shedeur Sanders really does not profile as a long-term QB in this league.
New York Jets (7th overall pick)
Another team that has had poor QB play for years now is the New York Jets. They own the 7th and 18th overall picks in the 2026 NFL Draft and could be another team that make a strong offer to move up. The Jets have the longest-active playoff drought streak in the NFL, and this team could find themselves back in the postseason with a franchise QB.
It's a lot easier said than done, but GM Darren Mougey did lay the groundwork with the major trades of Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. You'd have to think that Mougey is going to make a bold QB move either this year or next year. Well, Mendoza could be the one he targets, and he might be able to make a stronger offer than most other teams.