BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Fernando Mendoza warmed up with his college roommate Wednesday while nearly two dozen college teammates took turns running the 40-yard dash.
Then the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback did what he always seems to do — deliver another impressive performance.
All 32 NFL teams sent scouts to Indiana, more than 100 media members were credentialed and dozens of family members and friends of ex-Hoosiers showed up for a pro day unlike
any other in school history. Most came to see the guy expected to be the first-overall pick in this month's NFL draft and Mendoza didn't disappoint, using his platform to potentially help his ex-teammates improve their draft stock.
"I feel like it went great,” Mendoza said after throwing the last of his roughly 56 passes inside the John Mellencamp Pavilion. “You know quarterbacks have passed, have done shorter pro days than that. However, I just wanted to make sure everybody could showcase their abilities in front of all 32 NFL teams and really run routes that are applicable to the timing we're going to be running in the NFL.”
Mendoza threw short, deep and medium-range passes, targeting receivers to the left, right and over the middle. He also threw on the run.
No, he wasn't perfect. The former Florida prep star and Cal graduate overthrew a diving Elijah Sarratt on a deep ball by a half yard, one of several balls that hit the ground.
Then again, the 6-foot-5 22-year-old doesn't have to be perfect after seemingly already convincing Las Vegas' decision-makers to take him at No. 1. The Raiders also seem like a perfect fit for the Boston-born Mendoza, a longtime fan of Raiders minority owner Tom Brady.
Mendoza's 2025 season certainly got the attention of Brady, who attended January's national championship game in Miami with majority owner Mark Davis and general manager John Spytek.
Mendoza completed 72% of his throws for 3,535 yards with 41 touchdowns and six interceptions last season, showed his mettle with a twisting highlight-reel scoring run late in the national championship game and defeated a murderer's row of football powerhouses — Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon and Miami — in succession to capture Indiana's first outright Big Ten title since 1945 and the school's first national football title.
At February's NFL scouting combine, Mendoza skipped the workout and he participated only in the throwing session Wednesday. But with coach Curt Cignetti watching and with bright television lights in the corner of the end zones on opposite ends of the field, Mendoza may have shown how committed he is to exceling as a pro away from the field.
He arrived at 236 pounds — 11 pounds heavier than his listed playing weight. He looked strong and more capable of surviving the big blows from the NFL's heavier, faster pass rushers.
But Mendoza also said he's far from a finished product.
"I'm putting all of my efforts toward just trying to be the best quarterback possible for the season," he said. “But I know at the next level, there's going to be a lot more snaps under center and that's a big adjustment. I need to get used to that and just the nature of the game. Not only that, the hash (marks) are more condensed and the speed of the game is faster. So all those things, I look forward to learning.”
Mendoza said he's already met the Raiders twice, once at the combine and again on Zoom, and he has one additional meeting scheduled before Las Vegas goes on the draft clock April 23. All he can do now is wait, though the pro day gave him one more chance to cherish this last college season.
“You have to take a second to kind of realize what we have all accomplished together here,” Mendoza said, referring to his teammates who finished the workout with a sprint to the end zone, followed by a group hug. “It was a little bit of a moment of a gratitude, looking at those guys and really seeing the special moments I've had with each individual. It's unlikely we'll all play on the same team again, but, hopefully, I'll get to play against and with some of those guys again.”
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