Fernando Mendoza Reveals NFL Team Told Him They ‘Hope He Gets Arrested’ Before Draft

NFL teams tend to apply every out-of-the-box method to lure their favorite player to their assigned draft spots. Fernando Mendoza was asked to get arrested by one of the NFL teams interested in drafting him.

The Heisman Trophy winner is projected to be the first player drafted this year. Barring a last-second trade, Mendoza will play for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2026.

That has not deterred other quarterback-needy teams from approaching the University of Indiana graduate. One of them suggested that Mendoza should get arrested, which would cause his draft stock to plummet.

It was: ‘Hey, maybe you should get arrested.’ I was a little confused, but then it was like to slide.

Fernando Mendoza told CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala at the NFL Combine on Friday

The most bizarre question that Fernando Mendoza has been asked during his draft interviews

"It was: 'Hey, maybe you should get arrested.' I was a little confused, but then it was like to slide."

🎤: @AKinkhabwala pic.twitter.com/33RaeHkaPT

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 27, 2026

Although he did not provide a name, it is suggestive that a club picking later on might make such a questionable recommendation in order to push him down the list, much like Shedeur Sanders did in 2025. Regardless of who it is, Mendoza’s interest lies only with the Raiders.

It was a fantastic interview. [The] coaching staff was in there. We went over some of my previous plays and did plays on the board. I thought it was a great meeting.

Mendoza said (H/T: NFL.com)

He had a brief chat with the Raiders’ minority owner, Tom Brady, and is looking forward to learning from him after the draft process ends.

Who hasn’t admired Tom Brady? I mean, more Super Bowl rings than anybody … anybody! So, that opportunity would be fantastic. Tom Brady, I believe, is the greatest quarterback of all time.

Mendoza said

The 2026 NFL draft will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It will commence on April 23 and end on April 25. The draft will be broadcast across ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN Radio.

Dan Orlovsky made a bold claim about Fernando Mendoza ahead of the NFL Draft

While many pundits believe Mendoza is the undisputed number one overall pick and the best quarterback prospect in the draft, few view Alabama graduate Ty Simpson as a better player. Among them is former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky.

Speaking on a recent segment of First Take, Orlovsky made a summary of the first eight games of Mendoza and Simpson’s tape. And he concluded that Simpson is the superior quarterback.

I’m through eight games [of Mendoza game tape] now, and through eight games, you see good, but there’s a lot of underwhelming. I think through eight games, [Ty] Simpson’s tape at Alabama is significantly more impressive than Fernando Mendoza’s.

Orlovsky declared

"Ty Simpson’s tape from Alabama, through the first eight games of the season, is significantly more impressive than Fernando Mendoza’s" – Dan Orlovsky pic.twitter.com/78O9rTt14t

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 26, 2026

That is purely Orlovsky’s take because his ESPN colleague and draft expert, Mel Kiper Jr., ranked Mendoza as the top prospect, while Simpson was 25th on that list. Some draft experts have compared Mendoza to his predecessor (at Cal) and Lions QB Jared Goff.

Orlovsky is famous for making bold statements. Before the 2024 draft, he was part of the group that hyped up Jayden Daniels instead of Caleb Williams. Sure, Williams went first overall, but Daniels’ rookie season is counted as among the best by a quarterback in history.

After analyzing Mendoza’s tape, Orlovsky discovered that Mendoza tends to rely mostly on run-pass options rather than launching the ball like Brady. However, he also highlighted that the 22-year-old has mastered the technique of limiting his errors.

[He makes] very good decisions—I think that’s his superpower. He avoids negative plays. But when you’re talking about first pick, first pick, I’m just not there. 

Orlovsky picked

Mendoza outclassed Simpson at the Rose Bowl in January. He tossed three touchdowns and completed 87.5% of his passes to lead Indiana to a 38-3 victory, advancing to the Peach Bowl, where they defeated Oregon 56-22. In the CFP final, Indiana edged out #10 Miami, 21-27.

Indiana went unbeaten for the first time in program history. Mendoza completed his senior year with 273 completions (72.0%) for 3535 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He further added 276 yards on the ground and scored 7 rushing touchdowns.

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