Emotional No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza tops seven Floridians in NFL Draft
Earlier this week, Fernando Mendoza took the mound at loanDepot park in a Marlins jersey. He threw a pitch because, at this point, what can’t he do?
As it turns out, there’s no future in baseball. He made sure it didn’t really matter, though, two nights later.
The Miami native and former Christopher Columbus High School star went No. 1 in the NFL Draft on Thursday night to the Las Vegas Raiders. The result had become a near-certainty since the fall, when the junior guided Indiana through its first undefeated season, winning the Heisman after passing for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns along with seven scores on the ground. That career-redefining campaign reached a crescendo in South Florida with a 27-21 win over UM in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
He was noticeably emotional after the selection.
“What a great organization, great legacy,” Mendoza told ESPN. “There’s so many teammates I’m looking forward to talking to — coaches, owners. I’m ecstatic for the opportunity.”
The 22-year-old is the fourth player to win the Heisman, national championship and become the top pick in the draft — and at each step, he consistently tried to water down the attention. This time, he announced that he wouldn’t attend the draft in Pittsburgh, opting to watch with his family in Coral Gables. He was surrounded by his brother, Alberto Mendoza (who’s projected as Georgia Tech’s starting quarterback this year), his parents and a scattering of relatives. His backyard featured wall-to-wall attendees, all part of the image that surely sat in the back of the Raiders executives’ minds with the selection.
“I wanted to stay and make the memory with everybody who poured into my football journey,” Mendoza said. “Mentors, coaches, family, friends. To be able to share that moment with all of them is going to be the best memory that I can make, rather than limiting it to 10 or 12 people in Pittsburgh.”
He mused about being “unemployed” before the draft, and his LinkedIn commerical reflected the change in his career status within an hour of his being selected, a definite first for a top NFL selection. His new position in Las Vegas, however, is still to be determined.
The Raiders signed 37-year-old Kirk Cousins in mid-April, and reports have surfaced that their ideal outlook would be for Cousins to start this season as Mendoza continues to develop. History supports the vision. Patrick Mahomes, Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts all didn’t see significant time in their first year (and in Love’s case, his second and third as well). With a growing number of rookie quarterbacks struggling and flaming out in recent years, the Raiders, who have only had one quarterback start 10 or more games in consecutive seasons in the last two decades (Derek Carr), likely want to play Mendoza’s development safe. Not to mention, one of their minority owners (Tom Brady) knows something about waiting a year before starting.
But none of that’s to say Mendoza can’t earn the starting role this year.
“Ultimately, this is a meritocracy and the best guy will play,” Raiders general manager John Spytek said. “It’s just really hard to play well at a young age, but we’ve seen plenty of quarterbacks do it recently.
“The best man will play.”
Elsewhere in the first round of the draft, six other players who played in Florida in college or high school were selected.
Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks was picked 18th by the Minnesota Vikings. His production — 4.5 sacks in a breakout 2024 campaign — warranted a selection in the upper half of the first round. However, his production came primarily only in 2024. He injured his foot early in the Gators’ dreadful 2025 campaign and only played three games. More concerning: he reinjured the same foot at the NFL Combine, though a doctor’s note that circulated among NFL front offices this week outlined that he’s expected to be fully available in early June.
For the Vikings, this is a bet on a return to previous form. Banks believes it’s just a matter of time.
“[I’m going to be] someone who goes out there and dominates every single play,” Banks said during Florida’s pro day in late March. “Give it his all. Go in there, work, put his head down and do what he’s got to do. Be a sponge, and hang around the vets and mean, pick up everything that I can so I can be productive. So that we can go win a Super Bowl.”
Only a few picks later, UCF defensive lineman Malachi Lawrence went No. 23 to Dallas. He figures to fit into the Cowboys’ pass rush immediately, which lacked a clear leader on the line last season after Micah Parsons’ departure. Lawrence was among the most productive defensive line options entering this draft, logging more than five sacks in each of his last three seasons in Orlando, including seven and 11 tackles for loss last fall.
The other Florida draftees (with their ties listed):
No. 4. Tennessee Titans: Receiver Carnell Tate (IMG Academy)
No. 11. New York Giants: Offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa (UM, IMG Academy)
No. 15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. (UM, Miami Central High School)
No. 22. Los Angeles Chargers: Akheem Mesidor (UM, Clearwater High School)
The draft will continue on Friday night with Rounds 2 and 3, in which a number of state natives are expected to go.
