The moment every Indiana fan has been waiting for since Fernando Mendoza raised the Heisman Trophy and then the National Championship trophy finally came Thursday night. Hoosier fans finally got to hear the name of an Indiana player called for the No. 1 overall pick for the first time ever.
Mendoza was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 1 overall pick in a move that everyone has seen coming for months. Mendoza has talked for months about how ready he is for this opportunity, and he has worked hard and plans to continue working hard to be the best player he can be.
Fernando Mendoza has gone from college royalty to bottom of the totem pole in the NFL
The thing about being picked No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft is that you aren't going to go to a team that is necessarily successful, unless there is a crazy trade. The reason that the team has the No. 1 pick is that they were the worst or one of the worst in the NFL the season before.
So, for Mendoza, he is going to have quite the uphill climb in Vegas. However, Mendoza also knows he isn't going to be the all-star he has been in college right away. There is a lot of work he now has to do in order to reach that kind of status.
"I’m at the bottom of the totem pole right now," Mendoza said in an interview after being drafted. "I got to first earn the respect of my teammates, earn that equity, and I have to immerse in it. I’m ready to do whatever the team needs and calls me to do to help them win.”
Fernando Mendoza already classy:
— Nick Walters (@nickwalt) April 24, 2026
“I’m at the bottom of the totem pole right now. I got to first earn the respect of my teammates, earn that equity, and I have to immerse in it. I’m ready to do whatever the team needs and calls me to do to help them win.” pic.twitter.com/qY9kPUUUH7
Mendoza is going to be looked at as a leader, being the quarterback, but he now has a lot of guys' respect to earn not just on his team, but in the NFL. The pros are not like the college ranks, and he will have a lot of defenders bearing down on him in his first NFL season.
Things won't be easy to start for Mendoza, but having the mindset he does will help him in learning how the NFL works and help him go further than some might think he will.
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