The 2026 NFL Draft is less than three weeks away, and teams across the league are finalizing their evaluations and projections ahead of the Apr. 23-25 event.
At the center of attention are former Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the leading candidate to be drafted first overall, and the Las Vegas Raiders, in possession of the No. 1 pick.
ESPN’s latest mock draft, published on Tuesday, keeps projecting Mendoza to the Raiders with the first pick, as it has been the case since the Hoosiers standout made his intentions to declare for the draft official after the college football season.
On the same day it released its latest mock draft, ESPN added a new dimension to its projections by publishing a set of pro comparisons for the prospects set to be drafted in late April.
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Regarding Mendoza, ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum sees traits of a former Atlanta Falcons franchise quarterback and No. 3 overall pick from the 2008 NFL Draft.
“I see Mendoza very much in the same light as when Ryan came out from Boston College in 2008,” Tannenbaum wrote. “Mendoza is a better athlete than given credit for (see: touchdown run in the CFP title game), and like Ryan, he does an excellent job with his footwork in the pocket. They also have similar builds and arm strength.”
Ryan won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award in his first NFL season and earned the MVP award eight years later after a 2016 season in which he threw for 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The former Falcons and Colts quarterback finished his career with more than 59,735 passing yards and 381 touchdowns, starting all 234 regular-season games he played.
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah already compared Mendoza to Ryan back at the NFL Combine. Ranking him as the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 draft class, Jeremiah wrote, "His size, arm talent and competitive nature remind me of Matt Ryan coming out of Boston College."
Mendoza had a breakout year in 2025, when he completed 273 passes for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns against six interceptions, adding 276 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
He led the Hoosiers to an undefeated 16-0 season and the first national title in program history after beating the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the CFP final.
