BLOOMINGTON, Indiana — For the projected first-round pick, pro day isn’t about the search. They’re about affirmation. And in that sense, Fernando Mendoza — Heisman winner, national champion and potential No. 1 overall pick on April 23 — was exactly who we thought he was.
If anything, his workout at John Mellencamp Pavilion was more reassuring than revealing. That’s exactly what Raiders head coach Clint Kubiak — in attendance along with offensive coordinator Andrew Janko — came to see.
For starters, Mendoza looked big as he made his way to the east end zone to start warmups. His weight at that time was 236 pounds nfl Scouting Combine and played close to 225, but he looked put together and started throwing passes to wide receiver Charlie Baker (who I think we’ll be talking about a lot during the 2026 season).
And when I say “fizzing pass”, I mean Mendoza was slinging it. This is the kind of arm talent you don’t fully appreciate on tape — but standing 20 feet away, it’s obvious. The velocity, the smoothness, the quick release – it’s all real. In fact, his arm talent and trigger are closer to Cam Ward than CJ Stroud or Jayden Daniels. Throughout the season, his ball placement remained consistent – on time, on target, in the receiver’s face.
Mendoza didn’t show the same anticipated throws that Carson Beck did at Miami’s Pro Day, but that’s included in Mendoza’s tape. He made these throws. He will continue to make them, even if the windows get tighter on Sundays.
and for Someone is still trying to formulate the QB1 debate In this class, let’s keep it simple: There isn’t one. I know the Internet has spent some time in recent weeks pondering whether Ty Simpson might make a late effort.
In the simplest terms: He can’t. Not because of Simpson He’s not a good enough player to be a great quarterback at the next levelBut because based on the work to date – and the physical equipment (both size and arm strength) – it’s not particularly close. Mendoza is a much better prospect.
I talked about this with my co-host on “With the First Pick,” former Titans general manager Ryan Carthon.
How Mendoza stacks up against previous top QB prospects
So how good is Mendoza?
If he had been in last year’s draft, there would have been real discussion about QB1. (And if Simpson was also in last year’s class, he would have competed with Jackson Dart for “a QB drafted after Ward and/or Mendoza in the 1st round or even in Round 2”.) Half of the guys I’ve talked to still have Ward as their QB1, while the other half are Team Mendoza. The point: They’re two really good quarterbacks who excelled in different ways, but who would have been among the first players taken in this hypothetical draft.
If we take it a step further and compare Mendoza to the 2024 class, which had six QBs taken in the first 12 picks, I would have placed him as the QB4 behind some combination of Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Mays. I can also make the case that Mendoza will be the QB3 behind Williams and Daniels, as Mays was inconsistent for most of his final year at UNC. With the benefit of hindsight, sure, Mayes is a top-three pick, perhaps the No. 1 overall pick, but knowing what we knew on draft night in 2024, it’s fair to say that Mendoza outperformed Mayes in his final college season.
It helps that Mendoza has played a lot of ball (Simpson has only 15 career college starts, and I’ve written about that). Dangers of first round QBs with such limited game reps). That experience came to the fore the moment I stepped onto Bloomington’s campus.
“I knew he was a guy,” cornerback D’Angelo Ponds told “With the First Pick” at the combine. “(Not just him)…throwing it, a lot of quarterbacks are going to throw that ball…but he has to have the football IQ (he does) and not take the bait…I knew he was going to be a great quarterback.
“He’s a competitor,” Ponds added. “I never saw him panic… We picked him in the first game of fall camp… and he came right back and was hitting on me.”
From the jump, Ponds has portrayed Mendoza as the type of quarterback defenders hate to face – disciplined, patient and impossible to rattle. That “Friends” moment wasn’t a highlight throw; It was restraint, the ability not to take the bait. This shows Mendoza’s command and processing speed.
Combine this with what Ponds observed after adversity – no obvious disappointment, just an immediate response – and you get a clear picture of his leadership. Steady, steadfast and relentlessly competitive, Mendoza learned the way he handles both success and failure in Indiana and it will serve him well in Las Vegas.
Below is a look at other Indiana Pro Day standouts who we had a chance to talk with during the pre-draft process and who have a great chance to hear their names called come draft weekend:
Elijah Surratt, WR
- Draft Range: Day 2
- Draft comp:Alick Ayomanor
A productive player who made the transition from the FCS to the Big Ten, Elijah Sarratt proved he belongs on the big stage by helping Indiana lead the way to the 2026 national championship. Nicknamed the “Waffle House” because he is “always open”, Sarratt credits his technical development to studying specific NFL connections. “I sent (Fernando Mendoza) some clips of Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams one day…we started working on them,” Sarratt told me and Carthon while discussing his back-shoulder chemistry with his QB.
What to expect at the next level: Sarratt is a physical “big slot” or possession receiver who wins at the line of scrimmage with strength and soft hands. He is exceptionally tough over the middle and has great contact balance to absorb hits and make yards after the catch. Although he lacks elite burner speed and can be rough on the top of his breaks, he is an asset in the red zone and is a surprisingly tenacious blocker.
CB D’Angelo Pond
- Draft Range: Day 2
- Draft Comp: Devon Witherspoon
D’Angelo Ponds arrived at Indiana with a chip on his shoulder, having been overlooked because of his size. “Nobody expected me to be here,” Ponds said of his visit to the combine. Despite being 5 feet 9 inches tall, he plays with a “dog” mentality which led to him earning Freshman All-America honors. He is comfortable playing both inside and outside, and tells teams, “Wherever your team needs me, I’ll play…and I can be successful at both.”
What to expect at the next level: Ponds is a high-IQ cornerback with exceptional recovery speed and a refusal to be intimidated by larger receivers. He is a willing tackler who consistently beats blocks and limits YAC. He understands route concepts, which puts him in position to make plays on the ball consistently. He may be undersized, but he doesn’t know it–or doesn’t play like it.
c pat coogan
- Draft Range: Day 2/3
- Draft Comp: Joe Thuney
Pat Coogan is one of them. When talking about Indiana’s skill player and QB center Pat Coogan there is one obvious through line: confidence. Not just in the obvious, physical sense, but in the way everything runs so cleanly because he’s in the middle of it. For Mendoza – who stressed that “accuracy is what you need” – it’s much easier to execute with a clean pocket.
Coogan provides what teammates describe as a steady presence up front and communicator. You could feel the confidence radiating in the way Indiana operated offensively – timing, rhythm and execution all start with the player who handles the ball to start every play.
Skill-position players point to his consistency and physicality. The identity of the run-game – downhill, efficient and controlled – does not exist without a center that can generate movement and stay connected. There’s praise for the little things, too: Coogan’s ability to get into space, find second-level defenders and finish off blocks that don’t show up in the box score but lead to explosive plays. And perhaps most importantly, there is leadership.
“Man, I like Pat Coogan,” Black told me at the Senior Bowl in January. “He’s a warrior — he’s tireless. … And his pregame speeches and halftime speeches — those were the things we looked forward to in those big games. It’s one of those things where you feel it. You feel it in your chest. You feel it in your whole body, like it’s time to go.”
Teammate after teammate repeated some version of the same story when talking about Coogan, who may not be the best athlete in this class, but his ability to bring a team together and lead in tough moments far outweighs athletic ability.
What to expect at the next level: Coogan is a historic maker who became the first offensive lineman in 82 years to win Rose Bowl MVP honors. He is a powerful, technically sound center with scheme versatility and high-level playmaking prowess. In pass protection, he plays with a strong anchor, low pad level and heavy hands, consistently neutralizing interior rushers. He again shows the ability to anchor against bull-rushing defensive tackles.
In the run game, he’s the tone-setter. Coogan generates consistent speed on the snap, maintains blocks and thrives on combo blocks. What sets him apart is his mobility, as he is comfortable pulling from the center, finding the goal in space, and finishing at the second level. He will fit into both zone and gap schemes at the next level.
RB Kellon Black
- Draft Range: Day 3
- Draft Comp:Hassan Haskins
A veteran presence in the backfield, Kellon Black transitioned from a “do it all” threat at JMU to a 1,000-yard rusher for the Hoosiers. Black modeled his game after Josh Jacobs, emphasizing a balance of power and agility. “Josh can run through people, but he can make a move whenever he needs to… I have those aspects,” Black told me at the Senior Bowl. He is a tone-setter who actively seeks contact rather than passing to the sidelines, seeing every move as an opportunity to “send a message” to the defense.
What to expect at the next level: Black is a patient, one-cut-and-go runner who explodes through holes. He runs with a low pad and tries to punish defenders at the second level. He’s a reliable pass catcher who didn’t drop a pass in 2025, though he may be more elusive in the open field. His age (24) and high mileage may impact his ceiling, but luckily he’s found someone strong, which makes him an immediate special teams contributor.
TE/H-Back/FB Riley Nowakowski
- Draft Range: Mid to late Day 3
- Draft Comp: Brayden Willis
Riley Nowakowski is the quintessential glue guy, a five-time Academic All-Big Ten selection who balanced a rigorous industrial engineering degree with championship runs. A versatile former walk-on, Nowakowski takes pride in executing selfless acts. About his role, he told us at the Combine that nfl teams View him as “a plug-and-play type of guy” who can transition between fullback, tight end and H-back. His commitment is complete; He was finishing school work a few hours before arriving at the combine.
What to expect at the next level: Nowakowski is a versatile, high-IQ player who serves as an “inline security blanket.” He runs disciplined routes, has reliable hands and flashes straight-line speed on inside screens. He is an asset in trick-blocking schemes and is not afraid to “mess someone up” on a down block to advance a runner. He needs to continue to refine his size-to-strength ratio for consistent line blocking at the next level.
