NFL fans just catching up with the latest mock drafts might be surprised by the name they see at the top.
Yep, that's an Indiana Hoosiers quarterback, Fernando Mendoza.
Right now, it'd be the New York Jets picking first overall. They're the NFL's only winless team.
ESPN's Jordan Reid predicted Wednesday that the Jets will go for Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft.
"The Jets are 0-6, and their offense is among the NFL's worst," Reid writes. "Justin Fields hasn't worked out to this point, and New York needs more than just a franchise quarterback. It needs a jolt of optimism. Mendoza is a decisive pocket passer who has impressed this season after transferring to Indiana from Cal, throwing 17 touchdown passes to two interceptions with a QBR of 84.2 that ranks seventh in the FBS. His ability to throw precise, on-time passes suits a Jets offense that is predicated on timing and accuracy."
MORE: Ohio State predicted to have 4 1st-round picks
Mendoza is one of the coolest stories in college football.
He nearly went to Yale, which is impressive enough.
At Cal, he earned his business administration degree while taking part in intensive internship hours even during football season.
Now, he's on the same QB depth chart at IU as his younger brother.
And he's coming off the biggest win of his life, a 30-20 victory at Oregon that moved Indiana all the way up to No. 3 in the country in the latest AP poll.
This year's NFL Draft quarterback class was expected to be a strong one, but no one was thinking about Mendoza when they were first determining that.
Now, Mendoza might be better than all the rest.
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