Overview
- Indiana’s quarterback made it official Friday, posting to Instagram and LinkedIn and updating his profile to “open to work.”
- The Raiders own the first pick, and owner Mark Davis, GM John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady evaluated Mendoza in person at the national title game.
- Mendoza led a 16-0 season with 72.0% passing for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns, plus 276 rushing yards and seven scores.
- Draft analysts widely project him at No. 1 to Las Vegas, with ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. calling the fit “pretty much a lock.”
- Key checkpoints now are the NFL scouting combine in late February and the draft in Pittsburgh from April 23–25.