JACKSONVILLE – The top is clear, with much unknown after that.
Fernando Mendoza is expected to be selected No. 1 overall. That much is essentially certain when discussing the 2026 NFL Draft’s quarterback class.
After that, very little is certain at all.
“It’s Fernando Mendoza and then the rest of the class,” NFL and Jaguars Media Analyst Bucky Brooks said.
Mendoza, the 2026 Heisman Trophy winner who led Indiana University to the College Football Playoff National Championship this past season, is widely projected to be selected by the Las Raiders No. 1 overall in next month’s ’26 draft.
While that’s clear, just where Mendoza ranks among recent No. 1-drafted quarterbacks is less so. NFL Media Lead Draft Analyst Daniel Jeremiah said he graded Mendoza similarly to last year’s No. 1 overall selection, Miami quarterback Cam Award, now with Tennessee Titans.
“The best attribute, I’d say, is his toughness,” Jeremiah said of Mendoza. “There’s kind of a mental and physical toughness to him that I think is going to serve him well.”
Mendoza, who played three seasons at California before transferring to Indiana for his final season, threw 41 touchdowns with six interceptions this past season and ran for 276 yards and seven touchdowns.
“He’s going to be the No. 1 overall pick,” Brooks said. “People will debate how he stacks up with the previous No. 1s that come through the position, but when you look at him in this class, the reason he’s head and shoulders above the rest of people is the way that he plays it, the way that he understands how to manage the game, the way that he delivers in the clutch … all those things are positives for him.”