He won’t be in Pittsburgh…but it’s for the best possible reason.
The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off tonight at 8 PM eastern, and there’s not a whole lot of drama surrounding who’s going to be the top overall pick.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is pretty much guaranteed to picked at #1 by the Las Vegas Raiders, who are in desperate need of a quarterback after moving on from Geno Smith following the 2025 season. The Raiders signed Kirk Cousins to a 5-year contract this offseason, though in reality it’s a one year fully guaranteed contract with an option to keep him around in 2027.
Cousins, who spent the past two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, is expected to serve as a mentor to Mendoza during his first season in the league (which may be the most wholesome pairing in the NFL), and the Indiana quarterback has already expressed his excitement to work with the 4x Pro Bowler:
“Whatever nuggets he would want to give, I would take in and emulate in my own game. Hopefully, I can be teammates with him. He’s not only a great player; he’s a great leader of men.”
So yeah, there won’t be much drama when Fernando’s name is called tonight in Pittsburgh. In fact, the national-championship winning QB won’t even be there to hear it in person.
Mendoza revealed last week on The Rich Eisen Show that he’s choosing to watch the draft from home so he can be with his family, and in particular his mother, who has multiple sclerosis:
“Pittsburgh is a great opportunity and it’s a great venue, and I’m really excited to see all of the guys walk across the stage on Thursday night. It’ll be a dream for a lot of guys.
However, my mom really wanted to do it at home, and so did my parents. It’s a lot easier for us, especially with the family situation. I’m gonna have to hop on a plane the next morning, and for that travel, it’d be a lot easier to stay at home.
I wanted to stay and make the memory with everybody who poured into my football journey. Mentors, coaches, family, friends. Being able to share that moment with all of them is gonna be the best memory that I can make, rather than limiting it to 10 or 12 people in Pittsburgh.”
In typical wholesome Mendoza fashion, he says that he’s fine with ESPN setting up as many cameras as they want at his draft party to capture the moment, but that he wants to be able to share his big day with his family and loved ones.
Fernando’s mother, Elsa Mendoza, was diagnosed with MS about 18 years ago, and frequently relies on a wheelchair when attending games or accompanying her family. In fact, she was on the field front and center when her son won the national championship back in January:
And during his interview last week, Fernando spoke about just how much his mother has inspired him:
“My mom struggles with multiple sclerosis, also known as MS, and I see her fighting every single day, and with a smile on her face. So there’s no excuse for me to have a bad day, bad play, or bad game. So I’m always trying to have an optimistic approach, give the best, serve the best I can to my teammates, as you can see there.
You know, I’m just always whatever the team needs me to do to win, whether it’s running up the middle, whether it’s throwing the ball on the outside or whatever I’m asked to do, I’m going to do is try to do my best ability for the team.”
This guy is just too wholesome. It’s hard not to root for Fernando, so I’m excited to see him taken off the board with the #1 spot.
I’ll be watching on TV tonight, just like Fernando.
