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Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, but Fernando Mendoza has been the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for months.<\/p>\n
As the Indiana Hoosiers quarterback won the Heisman Trophy and a national championship in 2025, displaying his knack for big throws and winning games, he emerged from the quarterback class as the kind of player with potential to lead an NFL franchise. And on Wednesday, teams got their final glimpses at Mendoza before he’s officially in the league.<\/p>\n
Indiana’s pro day was held in Bloomington, where Mendoza had a total of 56 scheduled throws in front of executives, scouts and coaches \u2014 including Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> general manager John Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak. The quarterback didn’t throw at the NFL Combine, as he opted to work out with his familiar Hoosiers receivers.<\/p>\n It was a quick, clean showing from Mendoza, who completed 53 of his scheduled passes, with two of his incompletions being drops. As anticipated, the quarterback’s showcase was just another reason for him to become the first passer of the board later this month, as he made some long-range throws look easy Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Sporting News tracked results from Fernando Mendoza’s pro day on Wednesday afternoon. Here’s a full look at how the Indiana star fared in his workout.<\/p>\n NFL FREE AGENCY 2026:\u00a0Team-by-team grades<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Fernando Mendoza pro day results, highlights from NFL Draft workout<\/p>\n All times Eastern.<\/p>\n 2:28 p.m. \u2014\u00a0And with that, the Mendoza era at Indiana is just about over.<\/p>\n The embrace between Fernando Mendoza and #iufb<\/a>\u2019s receivers after what could be the last time they catch passes from the projected No. 1 overall pick.<\/p>\n Special moments at Indiana\u2019s Pro Day. pic.twitter.com\/MMfrlygXYX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Colin McMahon (@ColinMcMahon31) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 2:27 p.m. \u2014\u00a0Mendoza has finished throwing already, making quick work of his Pro Day performance. It was as clean as anticipated, as the Indiana quarterback completed 53 of his 56 throws, with two drops factoring in.\u00a0<\/p>\n the arm strength \ud83d\udcaa<\/p>\n (via @nflnetwork<\/a>) pic.twitter.com\/JqsR3ZxV3L<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NFL (@NFL) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Deep post from Fernando Mendoza to E.J. Williams is spot on.#iufb<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/aybKmRloLU<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Joe Cronin (@Joe_cronin03) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Fernando Mendoza to Kaelon Black at Indiana football’s Pro Day pic.twitter.com\/5MZ8B0tEpS<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Michael Niziolek (@michaelniziolek) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 2:19 p.m. \u2014\u00a0Mendoza also had some connections with Omar Cooper Jr.<\/p>\n Fernando Mendoza to Omar Cooper Jr. at Indiana football’s Pro Day pic.twitter.com\/WjIJzSfzWl<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Michael Niziolek (@michaelniziolek) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 2:15 p.m. \u2014\u00a0Mendoza has look as good as anticipated, but one of his misses was an overthrow to Elijah Sarratt:<\/p>\n Fernando Mendoza overthrows Elijah Sarratt on go ball 60 yards down field pic.twitter.com\/5jqkJ0T8Ao<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Michael Niziolek (@michaelniziolek) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 2:06 p.m. \u2014\u00a0Mendoza has started throwing, firing some deep passes to his Indiana receivers.<\/p>\n Former Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza doing drills on Pro Day pic.twitter.com\/22b5aOiYun<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Michael Niziolek (@michaelniziolek) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 2:03 p.m. \u2014\u00a0Among the other notable Hoosiers participating today was cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, who ran a 4.31u in the 40:<\/p>\n .@DangeloPondss<\/a> was flying \ud83c\udfce\ufe0f @IndianaFootball<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/yYu5GywtfB<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NFL (@NFL) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 2:01 p.m. \u2014 Both Raiders GM\u00a0John Spytek and HC Klint Kubiak are in attendance.<\/p>\n Fernando Mendoza is getting ready for his workout. GM John Spytek and HC Klint Kubiak are among roughly 10 Raiders staffers in attendance. pic.twitter.com\/U9jrocAX90<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 1:33 p.m. \u2014\u00a0Charlie Becker is catching some passes from Mendoza, wearing his quarterback’s shirt.<\/p>\n Charlie Becker, who is wearing a Fernando Mendoza NIL shirt, is catching passes as the potential number one overall pick preps for Pro Day. #iufb<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/gqi6tSTlFe<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Josh Pos (@pos_josh) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 1:20 p.m. \u2014\u00a0Mendoza has arrived for his Pro Day.<\/p>\n Fernando Mendoza getting warmed up and stretched out pic.twitter.com\/QSr0FYbo1s<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Fernando Mendoza is beginning his warmup routine as 40\u2019s continue on.<\/p>\n Mendoza did not throw at the combine, but will here today. #iufb<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/oKpHbDnXal<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ian Plaskoff (@ian_plaskoff) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 11:32 a.m. \u2014\u00a0Mendoza previously said he preferred to throw to his Indiana teammates as a workout for scouts:<\/p>\n Fernando Mendoza, the projected No. 1 pick, will throw to his teammates at Indiana’s pro day during their reps in front of NFL scouts.<\/p>\n “I want to make sure I give my guys the best chance, so I want to throw a pro day with my guys.”pic.twitter.com\/mDNybOnz0B<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 11:31 a.m. \u2014\u00a0Raiders general manager John Spytek is expected to be in attendance in Bloomington today:<\/p>\n Spytek is expected to attend Indiana’s Pro Day on April 1 to get another look at projected top pick, Fernando Mendoza.<\/p>\n “We’ll watch him throw the football and get a chance to spend some time with him more than we have. We’ve had a couple of touch points, but just looking\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Ryan McFadden (@ryanmcfadden_) March 30, 2026<\/a>How to watch Indiana pro day in 2026Date:\u00a0Wednesday, April 1Time:\u00a01 p.m.\u00a0ETTV Channel:\u00a0NFL NetworkStream:\u00a0Fubo<\/a><\/p>\n NFL Network is set to carry live coverage of Indiana’s pro day, with\u00a0Daniel Jeremiah, Rhett Lewis, Bucky Brooks and Patrick Clayborn on-site at Mellencamp Pavilion in Bloomington, per 247Sports.<\/a>\u00a0A\u00a0total of 23 players, including Mendoza, are expected to participate in drills. Coverage will last from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n Those looking to stream Indiana’s pro day can turn toward Fubo<\/a>, which carries NFL Network in its channel lineup.<\/p>\n Fernando Mendoza NFL Draft projection<\/p>\n Just about every mock draft, big board and scouting report from the last few months has Mendoza landing at No. 1 overall to the quarterback-needy Raiders. Nothing is set-in-stone, but it would take a huge surprise, such as Las Vegas trading the pick, for that pairing not to happen.<\/p>\n In The Sporting News’ latest mock draft<\/a>, Vinnie Iyer had Mendoza going No. 1 to the Raiders, viewing the pick as a virtual “lock.”<\/p>\n NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus 2026 mock<\/a>, rounding up drafts from various outlets, has Mendoza going No. 1 to the Raiders with 98 percent of compiled mocks in the past week projecting that pick.\u00a0<\/p>\n MORE: The Sporting News’ latest 2026 NFL mock draft<\/a><\/p>\n