Fernando Mendoza won't be at the NFL Draft stage later this month to give Roger Goodell a hug after the Raiders take him No. 1 overall. Mendoza won't be in Pittsburgh at all, as a matter of fact.
On Tuesday, Mendoza informed the NFL that he would not be attending the 2026 NFL Draft and will instead be with his family for a private draft viewing party in their Miami home.
"Projected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza has informed the NFL that he is not planning to attend the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh this month, per sources. Mendoza wants to share the draft experience with his family in Miami," ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier today.
Mendoza will be the first projected No. 1 overall pick to skip the NFL Draft green room since Trevor Lawrence back in 2021.
The right move
NFL fans quickly pointed out that Mendoza was almost guaranteed to keep his draft plans close to the family given his mother's health situation. Others just feel it's a nice touch to be staying with his family.
"Can’t remember the last time the top pick wasn’t at the draft but that’s pretty cool. Just wants to share that moment with his family," one user remarked on X.
"Given the health of Fernando's mother, this isn't a surprise. It was very clear in his conversations with the media throughout the season that she is at the center of everything he does. This is a selfless decision by a selfless individual," wrote another.
"All-time good guy. Sucks we won't see him shaking hands w/ Goodell and everything... but I'm sure he'll have a Raiders hat there at the house," a third wrote.
Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy and the national championship with the Indiana Hoosiers this past college football season. He is the consensus top quarterback in the NFL Draft and will join a Raiders team that has a new head coach in Klint Kubiak plus an experienced veteran working with him in Kirk Cousins.
He'll also have Tom Brady, his childhood hero, as one of his bosses.
