Fernando Mendoza Won't Attend 2026 NFL Draft

Fernando Mendoza isn't just the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft; he's a Heisman Trophy winner, a national champion, and now the guy who's skipping the stage entirely. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that Mendoza has informed the NFL he will not attend the draft in Pittsburgh this month, choosing instead to share the moment with his family in his hometown of Miami.

NFL Draft News: Fernando Mendoza Will Not Attend Pittsburgh Festivities

It's a bold call, but when you're as locked in as Mendoza is to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 1, the handshake with Roger Goodell is basically a formality. The former Indiana quarterback threw for 3,535 yards with 41 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 2025, led the Hoosiers to their first national championship in program history — a 27-21 win over Miami — and became the first Indiana player to ever win the Heisman. There's nothing left to prove on a stage.

And the Miami angle makes the whole thing unique. Mendoza grew up minutes from the University of Miami campus, attended the same high school as Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal, and was declined a walk-on offer by the Canes coming out of Christopher Columbus High. He went to Cal, transferred to Indiana, then came back to Hard Rock Stadium and beat Miami for the title. Now he's choosing to watch the draft from that same city, with the family that was there for all of it.

The Raiders, who also brought in Kirk Cousins this offseason as a veteran bridge option, have been building around Mendoza's arrival for months. Round 1 kicks off April 23 in Pittsburgh. Mendoza just won't be there to hear his name called in person. He'll be at home with the people who helped get him there.