Fernando Mendoza openly complimented his most probable NFL destination. <\/p>\n
On the \u201cTODAY Show\u201d Friday morning, shortly after officially declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft, the Heisman Trophy winner and recent national champion with Indiana tipped his hat off to the Raiders, who hold the No. 1 overall pick.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a near-certainty that Mendoza will call the Sin City home after his stunning college football season with the Hoosiers, who capped a 16-0 with the CFP National Championship this week.<\/p>\n
When host Craig Melvin asked Mendoza where he would like to play, the quarterback showed off his media polish.<\/p>\n
Fernando Mendoza discusses the NFL Draft on the TODAY Show.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be blessed to play anywhere, and the No.1 pick is a great blessing, but any pick is a fantastic blessing,\u201d he said. \u201cYou only need one team to believe in you and so whatever team believes in me, I\u2019m going to give them my most.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the humble answer, Melvin pushed further when inviting long-time Raiders fan and fellow network co-host Carson Daly into the interview.<\/p>\n
Fittingly wearing his black and gray, Daly let the 22-year-old know what he\u2019s in for.<\/p>\n
Fernando Mendoza spoke on being drafted as the NO. 1 overall pick by the #Raiders<\/a> on @TODAYshow<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Raiders have a great culture, have a great coaching staff, great ownership group. It\u2019s all around. Those are legit guys. I\u2019d be happy to end anywhere.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/zmAT1Web1X<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Luis Mayorga (@LuisNMayorga) January 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cShould you end up with us, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d Daly said, as Melvin bursted out laughing while Mendoza smiled and shook his head in disagreement.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you can win more than three games, you\u2019re a hero,\u201d Daly went on. \u201cYou\u2019ve got [Ashton] Jeanty. You\u2019ve got [Brock] Bowers. We\u2019re going to get an O-line for ya. Should that be the place you land, we\u2019ll take care of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Raiders have a great culture, have a great coaching staff, great ownership group,\u201d Mendoza replied. \u201cIt\u2019s all around. Those are legit guys. I\u2019d be happy to end anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek and owner Mark Davis walk on the sideline before the CFP National Championship college football game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The Raiders certainly feel the same way, as both Raiders owner Mark Davis and minority owner Tom Brady watched Mendoza lead Indiana to a 27-21 victory over Miami in the NCAA title game.<\/p>\n However, despite the optimism from the young QB, the Raiders have some housekeeping to do during the offseason and at the top of their list is naming a new head coach.<\/p>\n The Raiders fired Pete Carroll<\/a> at the start of the year after a disastrous 3-14 season, which led to the top draft pick.<\/p>\n Fernando Mendoza is expected to be this year\u2019s No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n While it has taken longer than expected for Las Vegas to fill the role, they might be playing the long game in waiting for a coordinator from a team that is deep in the playoffs.<\/p>\n Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is a favorite for the job, according to be the next Raiders head coach, per prediction market\u00a0Kalshi<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t