It’s an absolute celebration in the Mendoza family on Thursday night time.
The household and mates of Fernando Mendoza exploded with delight and cheers as the former Indiana quarterback was chosen with the No.1 total decide of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Raiders — as expected — on Thursday night time.
Mendoza could be seen on the broadcast sitting on the sofa overcome with emotion alongside his wheelchair-bound mother, Elsa, who has a number of sclerosis (MS), inside his childhood home in Coral Gables, Fla.
The Heisman Trophy winner and Elsa hugged before he put on his Raiders hat and labored the room.
Fernando Mendoza and his household on draft night time in Florida. X
ESPN cameras captured his yard, where a group of his household and mates were cheering when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called his identify.
The 22-year-old has beforehand called his mother his “best friend.”
On April 7, Mendoza determined to not attend the draft in Pittsburgh, Pa. and instead have a good time the night time alongside his household due to numerous journey circumstances.
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Elsa, who was identified with MS 15 years in the past, has had difficultly utilizing her limps in certain capacities, which would make it troublesome to journey to and from the draft.
“My mom really wanted to do it at home, and so did my parents. It’s a lot easier for us,” Mendoza said on Monday on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
“Especially with the family situation. I’m going to hop on a plane (in) the morning anyways. For that, it will 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, we want to share that memory with all of them is going to be the best memory that I could hope for, rather than limit it to 10 or 12 people in Pittsburgh.”
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza appears to throw a go during the college’s NFL soccer professional day Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Bloomington, Ind. AP
As a consequence, Mendoza won’t be becoming a member of Tom Brady or the relaxation of the Raiders group to reply questions from the media nor be pictured in a jersey on stage. That will all be doubtless pushed to Friday in Las Vegas.
He is the first No. 1 decide to skip the occasion since 2021 when Trevor Lawrence selected a large household night time in Clemson rather than touring to Cleveland.
Mendoza has been extremely anticipated to be chosen as the No. 1 total decide for fairly a while and Thursday didn’t deliver any surprises.
He is coming off of a Heisman Trophy-winning season with the Hoosiers, in which he also won a National Championship over Miami in January.
While the Raiders have veteran Kirk Cousins on hand to compensate for time Mendoza might want to get prepared for NFL play, they have still been making ready for the prime prospect’s arrival.
Fernando Mendoza hugs his mother after the win. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
During the offseason, Las Vegas made several strikes, including signing heart Tyler Linderbaum to a historic contract for an offensive lineman as they make an effort to enhance upon their worst ranked squad from last season.
Last week, Raiders basic supervisor John Spytek said “the best guy will play” and the team has no plans to sit Mendoza just for the sake of doing so. However, it seems like there will be some time before the Raiders hand over the helm to the younger player.
“It’s a hard position to play, and there’s a lot to learn beyond throwing a football and being a good teammate,” Spytek said.
Before the transition interval, however, Mendoza will proceed to have a good time with his household as the first step in his next chapter has begun.
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