Where would Fernando Mendoza rank among QBs drafted in Round 1 over the past five years?
#Fernando Mendoza #NFL Draft 2026 #QB Rankings #Caleb Williams #Trevor Lawrence #Jayden Daniels #Drake Maye #Bryce Young #NFL #Football
📌 Key Takeaways
- Fernando Mendoza is considered the top QB prospect in the 2026 NFL draft after leading Indiana to a national championship and winning the Heisman Trophy in 2025.
- The article ranks the top 18 first-round quarterbacks from 2021-2025, including Mendoza, as if they were in the same draft class.
- Caleb Williams (2024) is ranked as the top prospect, followed by Trevor Lawrence (2021), Jayden Daniels (2024), Drake Maye (2024), and Bryce Young (2023).
- The ranking is based solely on predraft grades and does not consider actual NFL performance.
- Mendoza's performance in 2025 earned him a first-round grade for the 2026 draft, placing him among elite prospects.
📖 Full Retelling
Fernando Mendoza had a storybook 2025 season, which started with a transfer from Cal to Indiana and ended with him leading the Hoosiers to their first-ever national championship . That performance, which included a Heisman Trophy , made him the unquestioned QB1 in the 2026 NFL draft . But how does he compare to first-round quarterbacks of the recent past? I answered that question by stacking all 17 first-round quarterbacks from 2021-2025, then adding Mendoza -- my only signal-caller with a first-round grade for 2026 -- to the mix. The list includes the likes of Trevor Lawrence , Bryce Young , Caleb Williams and Drake Maye . I polled NFL scouts, decision-makers and analysts to help build the list, and predraft grades were the only consideration here. While I added each quarterback's pro performance for additional context, it has no bearing on these rankings. This is just those 18 quarterbacks stacked together as if they were all in the same draft class. So who is No. 1 on the list as the top QB prospect going back five years, and how does Mendoza compare? Jump to top QB from each class: 2021 | 2022 | 2023 2024 | 2025 | 2026
🏷️ Themes
NFL Draft, Quarterback Prospects, Football Recruiting, Player Rankings, College Football
📚 Related People & Topics
Fernando Mendoza
American football player (born 2003)
Fernando Gabriel Mendoza V (born October 1, 2003) is an American college football quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers. Mendoza previously played for the California Golden Bears before transferring to Indiana in 2025, where he won the Heisman Trophy among other awards en route to a national champion...
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Las Vegas Raiders
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NFL draft
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Joel Klatt
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Heisman Trophy
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Original Source
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