Top NFL prospect Fernando Mendoza says team suggested he be arrested to fall in draft
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The projected top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, said a team executive suggested he be arrested so he could move up to that team’s pick in the upcoming draft.
Mendoza is projected to be the first overall pick of the Las Vegas Raiders, but is still interviewing with other teams at the NFL combine.
Mendoza revealed the suggestion a team made to him about getting arrested during an interview with News Sports on Friday, when asked about the strangest question he received from teams at the NFL combine.
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Indiana Hoosiers quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza (15) and Alberto Mendoza (16) warm up before the game against the UCLA Bruins at Memorial Stadium on October 25, 2025, in Bloomington, Indiana. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
“It was, ‘Hey, maybe you should be arrested,’ and I was a little confused, but then I thought, the slide… so you could slide into the eraser,” he said.
Mendoza declined to reveal which team made the suggestion.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza (15) and Alberto Mendoza (16) walk the field to warm up before the 2025 Big Ten Conference Championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 6, 2025 in Indianapolis. (Images by Aaron Doster-Imagn)
“So I hope they don’t arrest me,” he added.
Mendoza is the most promising quarterback this year after leading Indiana to the first 16-0 season in modern college football history, winning the national championship and the Heisman Trophy.
He finished the 2025 season with 3,535 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and only six interceptions.
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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza passes against Miami during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Teams in need of a quarterback besides the Raiders may not find many answers in this draft after Oregon quarterback Dante Moore returned to college for one more year.
Other prospects, including Ty Simpson, Drew Allar and Garrett Nussmeier, are projected to be lower-level prospects compared to Mendoza.
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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to Title IX enforcement and in legacy media outlets, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The News and ESPN.com.