Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza continues to gain momentum as a rising 2026 NFL Draft prospect. After starting the last two seasons at Cal, Mendoza will look to cement his NFL Draft stock at Indiana and follow in the footsteps of 7th Round pick Kurtis Rourke.
On Friday, Mendoza was tabbed as an [NFL Draft "sleeper" by ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2026/story/_/id/45485614/2026-nfl-draft-sleepers-scouts-pick-radar-prospects-risers) following positive remarks from NFL scouts. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder is already an intriguing prospect due to his size and physical measurements, but his arm talent is garnering even more rave reviews.
"Watch that dude throw back-shoulder fades and you see the touch, timing and power to be a baller in the NFL," an NFC East scout told ESPN. "... He got hit and pressured a lot last year behind a bad O-line, so that's something to watch for this year. Is he a little traumatized by what he had in front of him last year?"
While at Cal, Mendoza played behind a porous offensive line which allowed the 5th-most sacks per game among all FBS teams. The pass-protection struggles led to Mendoza taking several big sacks throughout the campaign and forcing him to make unconventional plays while evading pressure.
Fortunately, Indiana's offensive line should be a significant upgrade for Mendoza in addition to the wealth of playmakers at running back, wide receiver and tight end. Mendoza's successful transition from Cal to Indiana in his first season will be a major factor in his NFL Draft stock.
"Who will be the transfer quarterback to rocket up draft boards this year? A lot of early buzz is centered around former Cal quarterback Mendoza ... and for good reason," wrote ESPN's Matt Miller. "After a breakout last season in which he threw for 3,004 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions, Mendoza transferred to Indiana to play in Curt Cignetti's Air Raid offense. Expectations soon followed the redshirt junior, especially considering Cignetti's scheme and the presence of legit NFL wide receiver prospect [Elijah Sarratt](https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/5088338/elijah-sarratt) on Indiana's roster."
Mendoza will enter the 2025 season as Indiana's starting quarterback. He was ranked the No. 4 transfer QB by 247Sports and one of the consensus top transfers quarterbacks by all rankings sites. Mendoza chose IU over schools like Georgia and hometown Miami.
"I had a couple things on my priority list when transferring to a new school," Mendoza said. "The first was development, and the second was coaching. There was a list through five, so there was multiple other factors, however, the development and coaching at Indiana was second to none. I believe every quarterback they've had start the past four years have all been conference player of the year, and the only one that wasn't was Kurtis Rourke, who had a phenomenal season and he finished ninth in Heisman voting this year.
"So to see that development, and to see not necessarily top-ranked guys go into that system, develop, become all-conference level quarterbacks was something that was extremely attractive to me. And that's where I want to be this time next year."