Who is Fernando Mendoza? The NFL Draft sensation no one could have predicted

Mendoza Mania has arrived successful nan NFL.

The projected No. 1 wide pick successful this year's draft, Fernando Mendoza brings 1 of football's astir unexpected stories to nan pros.

Legendary shot supplier Leigh Steinberg, who has represented an NFL-record 8 first wide draught picks, believes what sets Mendoza isolated from nan different hyped prospects is his words.

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"The measurement he relates to people," Steinberg said was nan astir unsocial portion astir Mendoza, successful an question and reply pinch Fox News Digital.

"He seems to person a really bully touch successful dealing pinch teammates. It seems to beryllium a earthy leader. He relates good successful interviews. He relates good successful everything. And so, nan occupation of a franchise backmost is to correspond nan franchise, and he becomes nan astir visible look of a franchise. And you know, he's handsome. He speaks well, and I deliberation he's benignant of an perfect typical aliases spokesperson for nan team."

How did a kid from Florida who cognize 1 saw coming go a Heisman Trophy winner, nationalist champion, and nan NFL's adjacent large thing?

Mendoza's grandparents fled communist Cuba

The logic Fernando Mendoza is successful nan U.S. and making his people connected shot history is because of a bold determination by his grandparents decades ago.

After Fidel Castro seized power of Cuba and installed a communist regime, each 4 of Mendoza's grandparents fled nan state and came to America.

"We each thought it was temporary," Mendoza's maternal grandfather Alberto Espino antecedently told The Washington Post of nan "There was nary measurement nan United States would let a communist authorities 90 miles away."

But Castro's reign endured, truthful Espino and nan Mendozas remained successful nan U.S. and built their life arsenic Americans. That meant American sports.

Mendoza's parents were prima athletes

Both of his parents grew up successful Miami, Florida arsenic nan children of Cuban refugees.

Mendoza's father, Fernando Mendoza Sr., was a rower astatine Brown University and a 1987 Junior World Championships golden medalist.

But Mendoza's begetter besides played shot erstwhile he was younger, and was teammates pinch Miami Hurricanes caput coach Mario Cristobal astatine Christopher Columbus High School during nan 1980s. Mendoza would spell connected to conclusion his father's erstwhile teammate successful this year's CFP nationalist title game.

Meanwhile, his mother, Elsa Mendoza, played tennis astatine nan University of Miami.

When Mendoza was a child, his mother was diagnosed pinch a superior disease

Mendoza was calved successful Boston successful 2003 arsenic nan first of his parents' 3 children, earlier his family moved backmost to Miami, Florida wherever he would turn up.

But erstwhile Mendoza was only astir 4 years old, his mother was diagnosed pinch multiple sclerosis. It's a chronic, autoimmune illness of nan cardinal tense strategy that tin impact nan encephalon and spinal cord. She has spent nan past fewer years successful a wheelchair.

Elsa Mendoza wrote astir nan acquisition successful a 2015 missive to her sons that was published successful The Player's Tribune.

"I was diagnosed astir 18 years ago, but of people you ne'er knew that. You and Alberto were truthful young, and I was doing fine….. and mostly I didn’t want you to worry. It conscionable felt for illustration this intolerable point to spot connected you guys. On my saccharine boys. And past I kept doing good until astir 10 years ago, erstwhile we went skiing and I collapsed my ankle and knee," she wrote.

"But moreover aft that, I wasn’t rather fresh to show you — only that my limb hadn’t healed each nan way, which is why your mom had her limp. It wasn’t until 5 years ago, erstwhile I sewage Covid, that things started to spell downhill successful a measurement wherever location was nary much hiding it. It was during shot season, and I realized I wasn’t going to beryllium capable to travel. And nan thought of you wondering if I supported you immoderate less, because abruptly I wasn’t astatine your games? I hated that. So that’s erstwhile I knew we had to beryllium you and your relative down."

She went connected to recall, "how difficult of a speech it ended up being. 'Your mom has this degenerative illness … and while we don’t cognize really it will progress, it’s going to commencement to impact america successful a fewer ways. But it won’t impact america successful nan ways that matter. We’ll person each other, and emotion each other, and beryllium location for each other. I promise.'"

He grew up Catholic, and went to an elite Catholic school

As a young boy, Mendoza would stitchery mangoes from his grandparents' gait and waste them door-to-door to his neighbors.

Indiana backmost Fernando Mendoza looks to propulsion a walk during nan school's NFL pro time successful Bloomington, Indiana, connected April 1, 2026. (AJ Mast/AP Photo)

Not only did he clasp capitalism arsenic a young man, but he besides embraced Catholicism.

He later followed successful his father's footsteps of playing shot astatine Christopher Columbus High School — an elite, $18,000-a-year all-boys backstage Catholic schoolhouse pinch a shot program.

As nan team's starting backmost his elder year, he led his squad to an 11-3 grounds and nan 2021 FHSAA Class 8A authorities semifinals.

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But it wasn't capable to gain nan affection of galore assemblage scouts.

As a two-star recruit, Mendoza was classed nan 2,149th-ranked enlistee successful nan state successful his precocious schoolhouse class. He didn't person a azygous FBS danasiwa offer.

He passed connected Yale for Cal Berkeley

With constricted offers retired of college, Mendoza astir accepted an Ivy League acquisition and non-scholarship shot spot astatine Yale. But instead, he went crossed nan state to effort his luck astatine California, Berkeley.

He wasn't handed nan starting occupation connected time one; instead, he redshirted, studied nan game, and softly earned his business grade from the prestigious Haas School of Business successful conscionable 3 years.

As a quarterback, he earned nan starting occupation successful 2023 and 2024, becoming Cal’s all-time leader successful completion percent (66.4%) and tying for 7th successful 250-yard passing games.

California Golden Bears backmost Fernando Mendoza stands connected nan section aft nan crippled against nan Arizona Wildcats astatine FTX Field astatine California Memorial Stadium successful Berkeley, Calif., connected Sept. 24, 2022. (Darren Yamashita/USA TODAY Sports)

But his college football profession hadn't moreover really begun.

The Indiana decision

In 2025, Mendoza made nan determination to transportation to Indiana. What followed is considered 1 of nan astir improbable runs successful assemblage shot history.

He threw for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions, completing complete 72% of his passes, while besides adding 7 rushing touchdowns, and won nan Heisman Trophy.

"It's very often not until nan extremity of their [college] profession that they show precisely those qualities. So a batch of maturation happened," Steinberg said of Mendoza's senior-year surge. "There person been a number of players who were precocious bloomers... you're getting them astatine nan tallness of their arc, and they put it each together. It takes clip to publication defenses and spot nan field."

Then erstwhile nan playoffs started, he cemented his sanction successful assemblage shot history. He threw 8 touchdowns pinch only 5 incompletions successful nan first playoff games against Alabama successful nan Rose Bowl and Oregon successful nan Fiesta Bowl.

In nan nationalist title game, played successful his location municipality of Miami against his hometown assemblage Miami Hurricanes, he was named nan CFP National Championship Offensive Player of nan Game, delivering a important 12-yard fourth-quarter touchdown tally to seal nan title.

Indiana Hoosiers backmost Fernando Mendoza holds up nan trophy aft nan College Football Playoff National Championship crippled astatine Hard Rock Stadium successful Miami Gardens, Fla., connected Jan. 19, 2026. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Indiana became nan first clip successful modern assemblage shot history to spell a cleanable 16-0 down Mendoza's leadership, making a lawsuit for 1 of nan top CFB backmost seasons ever.

Now nan existent activity begins

With nan Las Vegas Raiders group to prime first successful nan NFL Draft this year, Mendoza appears destined for Sin City.

Steinberg believes nan fresh will activity retired good shot wise and business wise.

"He's a cleanable prime for nan Raiders because he's personification they tin build a franchise around. He seems to person nan due activity skills and motivational expertise to lead a team. He's precocious character, he's sewage beingness size. He's sewage awesome limb strength. He's indicated a number of times that he tin bring nan squad backmost successful captious circumstances," Steinberg said.

"As a trading proposition, Las Vegas is nan hottest sports municipality arsenic location is successful America... It's a bully situation to beryllium successful pinch supportive fans and companies for sponsorships and endorsements."

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Mendoza has already revenge 12 trademark applications. These filings see his name, "Fernando Mendoza," "Mendoza," "Flippin'," and "HE15MENDOZA," aimed astatine covering diversion apparel and merchandising.

"By picking 12 different areas, that beautiful overmuch covered nan field. And that intends that cipher tin spell up and put together unique Mendoza [merchandise] without dealing pinch him," Steinberg said.

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