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Future No. 1 Pick Fernando Mendoza Draws Herbert, Daniel Jones Comparisons From NFL Voices
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DJ Siddiqi
March 10, 2026 4:55 PM
March 10, 2026 4:55 PM
7 min read
Everyone knows Fernando Mendoza will go No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The top-ranked quarterback prospect is coming off a sensational season in which he led the Indiana Hoosiers to an undefeated national championship season while winning the Heisman Trophy. The 22-year-old quarterback is projected to go to the Las Vegas Raiders, who hold the No. 1 pick in the draft.
While everyone knows Mendoza has talent, the question is, will the Raiders surround him with the right talent and the right system to maximize his abilities? Las Vegas’ last true franchise quarterback was Derek Carr, who starred for the Raiders for nine seasons.
However, he led the team to just two playoff appearances and failed to lead them to a postseason victory. Las Vegas is searching for its first playoff win since advancing to the Super Bowl during the 2002 season.
We interviewed an assortment of current, former, and future NFL players to get their thoughts on Mendoza: former three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jonathan Vilma, current Miami Dolphins QB Quinn Ewers, Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss, and Mendoza’s Hoosiers teammate, Mikail Kamara.
Here’s what they had to say about the future No. 1 overall pick.
Q: I want to shift the attention real quick to Mendoza, because obviously this kid is amazing. Heisman Trophy winner, going to be the number one overall pick in the draft. What makes him so special? Is there a quarterback that you can think of play style that he reminds you of.
Kamara: What I think makes him so special is he loves the game, but he loves football. He’s watching film constantly, because he’s getting treatment done constantly. He’s getting in extra work with his brother, like he is just an absolute football junkie. But then outside of that, personality wise, he really is the way that he seems on the internet.
I know a lot of people, including myself, I thought he was just like a PR stunt type of guy, but he’s the most genuine guy that I’ve ever met. I love Mendoza. As far as playing style, I would probably say a better version of Daniel Jones, because I think they both could tuck it and run when they need to, but they also can deliver it down the field. They’re both tall and lanky, so I think that’s a good player comparison.
Q: You’ve seen Fernando Mendoza, the top-rated quarterback prospect. What do you see in Mendoza? What impresses you about his skill set?
Chambliss: He’s just a pro on and off the field. He’s a pro, he moves like a pro, very technical in what he does, whether it’s in his interviews after the game. But just the way he dials up, passes against defenses. His ball placement as well, it’s just elite. Like I said, he just moves like a pro.
Q: I want to ask you about Fernando Mendoza. Obviously Heisman Trophy winner, Coral Gables kid, probably gonna be the number one overall pick in the draft. When you watch him play, is there a certain quarterback that he reminds you of? What are your thoughts?
Vilma: He reminds me of Justin Herbert. He’s got a release similar to his release. He’s got an arm. He likes to stretch the defense. He reminds me of him, but I’ve also seen where if get pressure, he’ll get rid of the football quickly, similar to Herbert. But both are really, really good quarterbacks.
I think he’s going to be a good system quarterback, where he’s going to take a year or two to really understand the offense and then understand the defense. I think he’s going to be really good. He’s going to be like where Baker Mayfield needed to get into the right system, Sam Darnold needed to get into the right system. When he gets to a right team with the right coach and system, then he’ll do well. I have no idea what’s gonna happen with the Raiders, so we’ll just leave that alone.
Q: Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner is probably gonna go number one overall in the draft. You as a fellow quarterback, what do you see in him that makes him so special? Is there a quarterback that you would compare him to?
Ewers: Obviously he’s a talented thrower of the ball. I don’t know if I can really compare him to anybody, but he’s been fun to watch, he’s kind of taken over this year by storm, and it was super fun to watch his success over the year. I got to meet him last year at the Manning Passing Academy. He’s a great dude, has a great foundation built from the outside looking in, but it’s hard to compare him to anybody. He’s a fun player to watch, that’s for sure.
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