Indiana football will have a record-breaking nine players attending the NFL Combine this week at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The likes of Fernando Mendoza, Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr., D'Angelo Ponds and several more Hoosiers will meet with NFL executives and participate in individual drills and testing ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft in late April.
All nine Hoosiers scheduled to appear at the NFL Combine include: Mendoza, Sarratt, Cooper, Ponds, Aiden Fisher, Pat Coogan, Roman Hemby, Riley Nowakowski and Louis Moore. Mendoza will not participate in throwing drills at the combine.
Indiana will also host a Pro Day on Wednesday, April 1, which will include draft prospects not invited to the combine, such as Mikail Kamara, Kaelon Black, Devan Boykin and several others. Mendoza is expected to throw at Indiana's Pro Day with dozens of NFL front-office personnel in attendance.
Peegs.com has compiled a complete overview of Indiana's draft prospects and where they are projected be selected in the upcoming draft. Each prospect's overview includes draft projection, overall ranking and positional ranking.
NOTE: NFL Mock Draft Database was used to aggregate draft projections and big board rankings for the purposes of this story. [Click here](https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/colleges/2026/indiana-hoosiers) to view the entire database.
**Fernando Mendoza, QUARTERBACK**
**Projection:** 1st round
**Position Rank:** No. 1
**Overall Rank:** No. 1
**Peegs.com comments:** The consensus top pick and heavy betting favorite to go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, Fernando Mendoza is poised to become Indiana's first No. 1 pick in program history. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner and Walter Camp Player of the Year, Mendoza was masterful all season in leading the Hoosiers to an undefeated National Championship.
Mendoza's prototypical 6-foot-5 frame will have NFL executives salivating when combined with his demonstrated skills, experience, production and intangible qualities. While Mendoza might not possess generational-type tools like previous No. 1 overall picks such as Caleb Williams, he's a mature veteran who operates well in structure and can extend plays with his legs.
Mendoza won't throw at the NFL Combine, but will participate in individual throwing drills at Indiana's Pro Day on April 1. Assuming everything checks out between Mendoza and the Raiders, the Hoosiers will have their first No. 1 overall pick in just a few weeks.
**Omar Cooper Jr., WIDE RECEIVER**
**Projection:** 2nd round
**Postion Rank:** No. 6
**Overall Rank:** No. 41
**Peegs.com comments:** One of the fastest rising draft prospects in recent weeks, Omar Cooper Jr. has a chance to become only the second IU receiver to be selected in the first round, joining Thomas Lewis in 1994. Cooper's versatility playing outside or slot has intrigued dozens of NFL teams, and his multiple years of starting experience and production points to a smooth transition into the NFL.
Cooper is one of, if not the best yards-after-catch prospects in the entire draft. He's slippery in and out of tackles, rarely goes down on first contact, fights through arm and ankle tackles, and shows tremendous contact balance. Cooper is also a sure-handed target and was rarely plagued by drops throughout his career.
Pre-draft testing and interviews will be critical in determining Cooper's ultimate landing spot. He could go in the back-half of the first round, or he could fall to mid-to-late second round. Regardless, Cooper appears increasingly likely to be one of the first Hoosiers off the board in the upcoming draft after Fernando Mendoza.