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When Quinn Ewers declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, it paved the way for Arch Manning to truly begin his ascent with the Texas Longhorns. The 21-year-old has already seen his hype rise to astronomical levels due to his last name and glimpses of greatness in short stints. Those combined have already put him as a near-lock to be the first pick in next year's draft.
Not everyone is on board with that, though. Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice is one of the few who isn't completely sold on Manning just yet. Well, he might be soon, but there's another quarterback who has caught his eye a bit more. According to Tice, Fernando Mendoza is his QB1 in the 2026 NFL Draft class as of this moment.
Could Fernando Mendoza be QB1 in 2026 NFL Draft over Arch Manning?
Tice dove deep into why Mendoza tops his big board for 2026 at this point in time, but these were the key points.
- "What first pops off the screen in Mendoza's play is the zip he can put on the football. His ball placement is firmly very good; Mendoza already shows real deal accuracy with an understanding of leverage to throw his teammates open and/or away from defenders."
- "There are already mature aspects to Mendoza's game outside of his arm talent. He makes the correct decision at a high rate, and even with his mistakes, I can mostly understand the process of how he got there."
- "Mendoza is a tough player. He might slide when going down as a runner, but he will stand in the pocket and take hit after hit if his answer for the problem calls for it. He also has athleticism, at least enough, to create just enough out of structure and give plays a fighting chance to succeed."
Mendoza, like Manning, doesn't have an extensive track record, but he has more starting experience. After redshirting as a freshman, Mendoza appeared in 20 games for the California Golden Bears in 2023 and 2024. Ahead of the 2025 season, he transferred to the Indiana Hoosiers.
Mendoza didn't fill up the stat sheet in either season with Cal, but he threw for over 3,000 yards last season while maintaining an efficient 16:4 touchdown to interception ratio. He also contributed four rushing touchdowns in those two seasons, so he can scramble when needed.
Manning has many of the same traits as Mendoza, but we've already seen the latter put it on film. With a full season as the starter at Texas, Manning will have more than enough opportunities to close the gap.