Ranking NFL Draft's Best QB Prospects Since 2021: Where does Fernando Mendoza land?
#Fernando Mendoza #NFL Draft 2026 #quarterback rankings #Big Board #Caleb Williams #Bryce Young #Trevor Lawrence #scouting
📌 Key Takeaways
- Fernando Mendoza is the consensus top quarterback prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft class.
- The article compares Mendoza's pre-draft ranking to recent top QB prospects like Caleb Williams, Bryce Young, and Trevor Lawrence.
- The author notes that some past QB prospects, such as Bo Nix and Jaxson Dart, outperformed their pre-draft rankings.
- Mendoza is ranked No. 4 overall on the author's 2026 Big Board, reflecting a less elite top of the class compared to previous years.
📖 Full Retelling
With the NFL Draft just a few weeks away, scouting departments across the league are spending countless hours zeroing in on their favorite prospects in the Class of 2026. The purpose of this article is quite the opposite — we aimed to look back and provide some perspective on Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza. He’s the consensus top quarterback of this class, but how does he stack up against recent top-rated prospects at the position? Quarterbacks have been selected No. 1 overall in four of the past five drafts, while Caleb Williams (2024), Bryce Young (2023) and Trevor Lawrence (2021) were also ranked as the top prospects of their respective classes on my annual Big Board. I ranked C.J. Stroud No. 2 overall in my 2023 Big Board. Maye checked in at No. 6 on my 2024 Big Board, albeit amid an elite class with only fellow top-10 picks Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Brock Bowers and Rome Odunze ranked ahead of him. This year’s class isn’t as rich at the top, and Mendoza checks in at No. 4 overall on my latest 2026 Big Board. But back to that 2024 board, for a moment. I had Daniels ranked two spots lower than Maye, with J.J. McCarthy ranked 23rd, Michael Penix Jr. 25th and Bo Nix 40th overall. Nix and Jaxson Dart (ranked 46th on my 2025 Big Board) were the only first-round quarterbacks since 2021 who I did not rank among the top 32 prospects in their respective draft classes. Clearly, I did not give either enough credit for how well their mobility and grit would transfer into immediate success in the NFL. Each has outplayed my expectations. But again, the purpose of this article is to rank Mendoza with regard to where I had the top quarterback prospects entering their respective drafts, and I can’t alter their pre-draft rankings now. As such, I’ll fess up and share the fact that, like many, I was intrigued by the upside offered by Anthony Richardson and Will Levis in 2023. I ranked them as the ninth and 13th best prospects, respectively, that year. And wh
🏷️ Themes
NFL Draft, Quarterback Prospects
📚 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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Original Source
With the NFL Draft just a few weeks away, scouting departments across the league are spending countless hours zeroing in on their favorite prospects in the Class of 2026. The purpose of this article is quite the opposite — we aimed to look back and provide some perspective on Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza. He’s the consensus top quarterback of this class, but how does he stack up against recent top-rated prospects at the position? Quarterbacks have been selected No. 1 overall in four of the past five drafts, while Caleb Williams (2024), Bryce Young (2023) and Trevor Lawrence (2021) were also ranked as the top prospects of their respective classes on my annual Big Board. I ranked C.J. Stroud No. 2 overall in my 2023 Big Board. Maye checked in at No. 6 on my 2024 Big Board, albeit amid an elite class with only fellow top-10 picks Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Brock Bowers and Rome Odunze ranked ahead of him. This year’s class isn’t as rich at the top, and Mendoza checks in at No. 4 overall on my latest 2026 Big Board. But back to that 2024 board, for a moment. I had Daniels ranked two spots lower than Maye, with J.J. McCarthy ranked 23rd, Michael Penix Jr. 25th and Bo Nix 40th overall. Nix and Jaxson Dart (ranked 46th on my 2025 Big Board) were the only first-round quarterbacks since 2021 who I did not rank among the top 32 prospects in their respective draft classes. Clearly, I did not give either enough credit for how well their mobility and grit would transfer into immediate success in the NFL. Each has outplayed my expectations. But again, the purpose of this article is to rank Mendoza with regard to where I had the top quarterback prospects entering their respective drafts, and I can’t alter their pre-draft rankings now. As such, I’ll fess up and share the fact that, like many, I was intrigued by the upside offered by Anthony Richardson and Will Levis in 2023. I ranked them as the ninth and 13th best prospects, respectively, that year. And wh
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