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Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza joined elite company during the 2025 college football season when he was named the Heisman Trophy winner. He now looks to join an even more exclusive group of players who won the Heisman Trophy and were picked No. 1 in the NFL Draft
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is part of that group, as he won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma in 2017 and was drafted No. 1 by the Cleveland Browns in 2018.
Mayfield and Mendoza have another unique connection. Chandler Whitmer was the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Indiana last season, where he coached Mendoza. He got hired by the Buccaneers this offseason to be the quarterbacks coach.
Mayfield is a big fan of Mendoza and revealed that one of the first things he bonded with Whitmer over was LinkedIn jokes.
“Yeah, first and foremost, I respect Fernando a lot. I think his game is really, really good. I think he’s a sharp kid, obviously extremely cerebral,” Mayfield told Heavy Sports when asked about his thoughts on Mendoza.
“Chandler, one of the first texts, it was a joke that we had, that he said he was going to make sure I had my LinkedIn profile updated when he gets there. So I think him and Fernando have a great relationship. And if it’s hopefully we can try and emulate that.”
Mendoza has become synonymous with LinkedIn, as it has become a running joke that he continues to update his profile, despite the fact that he’s about to make millions of dollars playing in the NFL.
Mayfield Talks News OC & QB Coach
In addition to Whitmer, the Buccaneers hired former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to the same role. Mayfield had a chance to speak about his experience with Robinson and also gave more insight into the Whitmer hiring process.
“Yeah, I’ve known Zac going back to the LA Rams days,” Mayfield told Heavy Sports. “He was the QB coach there. So I’m really happy with that. Know him really well. Trust him wholeheartedly. And he was just kind of telling me about, ‘hey, these are the guys we’re interviewing for the QB coach.’ He just kind of gave me a little background on each of them.
“And then we finally hired Chandler Whitmer, getting to know him and learning from him. I’m really excited. Sharp football mind, young guy that got a lot of energy, got a lot of juice. And so it’s just exciting times whenever you start to try to figure out what the staff is going to be like, put it all together. And then after that, it’s time to go to work.”
Mendoza Is Likely No. 1 Pick
When the Browns zeroed in on Mayfield as the No. 1 pick in 2018, it caught many by surprise. That won’t be the case with Mendoza. The Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 1 pick in 2026, and it’s widely expected that they’ll be taking the Indiana quarterback.
The team has a huge need at the position, and new head coach Klint Kubiak has a very good system for Mendoza’s skillset. Barring any big surprises, Mendoza will be the latest Heisman Trophy winner to get No. 1 overall.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
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