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(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders look like they will be selecting former Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza at the 2026 NFL Draft. Moreover, if Mendoza is the guy, they will finally have a franchise signal-caller to pair with their new head coach, Klint Kubiak.
Mendoza is coming off an amazing 2025 college football season in which he won the Heisman Trophy and the national title. Moreover, the Hoosiers’ standout posted a passer rating of 182.9 with 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 16 games in 2025, per StatMuse.
As the draft nears, the focus will be on what player Mendoza can turn out to be for the Silver and Black. For FS1’s Colin Cowherd, he sees a better version of former Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan.
So my scouting guys, sometimes there’s a problem when I like a player way more than my scouts do, or I don’t like a player as much as my scouts do, and that’s where Fernando Mendoza comes in,” Cowherd said on the Feb. 12 edition of “The Herd.”
“I like Fernando Mendoza a lot. Everybody else just likes him… When I watch him, here’s what I see: A bigger, stronger, more athletic version of Matt Ryan. That’s what he looks like.”
Raiders Should Be Happy With Matt Ryan Comp
Moreover, Cowherd went into details of why it wouldn’t be a bad thing for Mendoza to turn out like Ryan. The former Falcons star had a long career, including a Super Bowl appearance, and any Raiders fans will sign up for that, especially after several terrible seasons with no light in sight.
“Matt Ryan is ninth all‑time in passing yards and top ten all‑time in passing touchdowns, got to a Super Bowl, had an MVP season behind him, and made four Pro Bowls,” Cowherd added.
“Add 30 percent to that, because I think Mendoza is a little bigger, he moves a little better, and he’s got a slightly stronger arm. Matt Ryan is someone you can build a franchise around and get to Super Bowls with. I think largely the Falcons failed Matt Ryan. He didn’t fail them. He was a very good quarterback.”
Kirk Cousins Sees His Game in Fernando Mendoza
Meanwhile, another QB comp that Mendoza has received is of current Falcons QB Kirk Cousins. Moreover, the veteran signal-caller also sees his game in the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.
“My wife told me that there’s a lot out there about how we’re similar look, similar style, play, [and] similar vibe,” Cousins told Yahoo! Sports on Feb. 6. “I can see it; I can see the look. I can see the style play. He seems like a cerebral guy and pretty analytical, and certainly, I think of myself in that same vein.
“So I didn’t get to go No. 1 overall, which he probably will. So that’s where the differences start to show up. But I’m sure he’s got a great career ahead of him.”
Meanwhile, Cousins also offered veteran advice to Mendoza as the young signal-caller embarks on his NFL journey in a few months.
“I’d give the advice that Mike Shanahan gave me when I was early in my career: Tough times don’t last; tough people do,” Cousins added. “You just got to stay the course, keep playing, play through the challenges, just get back on the horse every day, no matter what happens, and believe that if you do that, good things will happen to Sam Darnold or to Drake Maye this year. But he seems like a resilient kid who probably already knows all that, and it’ll serve him well.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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