After Russell Wilson and Justin Fields guided them to a second-place finish in the AFC North and a first-round exit in the postseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers watched both quarterbacks find new homes this offseason.
Instead of being proactive to fill their spots on the depth chart with real difference-makers, the Steelers brought Mason Rudolph back after a year with the Tennessee Titans. They also used a sixth-round pick (No. 185 overall) on Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, who completed 73% of his passes for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on his way to a national championship last year.
While Howard probably has the highest floor of any quarterback on Pittsburgh's roster currently, there's a pretty good chance that they take a swing on another early in next year's draft.
In fact, CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson released a 2026 mock draft on Monday, and he predicted that the Steelers will use their first-round pick (No. 14 overall) on Fernando Mendoza.
"Pocket passer but not a statue; he buys time with subtle pocket movements, excels off-platform and when needed, can stride out in open field," Wilson wrote. "Will get through reads while hanging in a pocket closing in around him. Consistently played with pressure in his face, yet consistently stood tall in the pocket and delivered strikes to all three levels on time and accurately. Ball consistently comes out on time and with touch/accuracy to all three levels. Good feel for pocket pressure, can climb with eyes downfield and deliver accurately off-platform."
Mendoza, 21, was a three-star recruit out of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida. He originally committed to Yale but flipped to the University of California for the 2022 season.
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After redshirting his first year, Mendoza took over as the Golden Bears starting quarterback midway through 2023. Over the last two years, he's appeared in 20 games, completing 66.5% of his passes for 4,712 yards, 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while rushing for an additional 197 yards and four scores.
Mendoza transferred to Indiana in December to be their starter in 2025, while his brother, Alberto, could be his backup.
Obviously, the older Mendoza would have to have a great a year with the Hoosiers to solidify himself as a top pick in the 2026 NFL draft, but if he does, he could find himself in black and gold soon.
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