Feb. 7, 2026, 12:33 p.m. ET
As we move further away from the end of the 2025 college football season, which was capped off with a historic national championship win for the Indiana Hoosiers, it’s time to start focusing on the upcoming NFL draft. With the 2026 NFL combine taking place in a matter of weeks at the end of February, we will start to see Pro Day dates leak out in the near future.
With that information, we can start to get an idea of how certain players are going to structure their pre-draft processes leading up to April. One of the most notable players to watch is Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the winner of the 2025 Heisman Trophy, and the projected No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
While Mendoza could likely still be the No. 1 pick even without going through the song and dance of the pre-draft process, he revealed this past week that he plans to throw at Indiana’s Pro Day this spring, but likely not at the combine.
Why? Because he owes it to his teammates, who are trying to lock up their NFL draft status, to help them put on a show.
“I want to make sure that I give my guys the best chance,” Mendoza said on The Pat McAfee Show. “So I want to throw at Pro Day with my guys, my running backs, and be there with the boys. The Combine — I don’t think throwing is going to be a priority, just because it’s such a quick turnaround.”
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Guys like Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr., Kaelon Black, and Roman Hemby will all be working to earn early-round draft grades, so a strong Pro Day showing would help that cause. Fortunately, it looks like they will have their Heisman winner alongside them on the big day.
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