Fernando Mendoza, widely projected to be the No 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft with the Las Vegas Raiders, has finally answered the popular ‘who is your girlfriend?’ question.
The Indiana Hoosiers star and Heisman Trophy winner has been a major talking point ahead of the April 23 draft day. He recently spoke about his romantic life and expectations from the upcoming football season.
Laser focus on football
Mendoza revealed he is currently in a no-distraction mode. The star QB has even stripped down his daily routine, even removing most apps from his phone, to stay locked in.
“I only have LinkedIn and YouTube on my phone right now.”
“It’s really helped put things in perspective. I’m not online reading, ‘Fernando is great, Fernando sucks.’ I’m listening to what my quarterback coach says and what the quarterbacks in our room think. That is what my focus is and that’s how I’ve been able to play my best football so far.”
What Fernando Mendoza said about his girlfriend
The 22-year-old said that he does not have a girlfriend. “I don’t have time for a girlfriend. Girls are very distracting. If I have one, I’d give her my all, hanging out, instead of watching extra film.”
Mendoza’s extreme focus paid off during the college season. He stayed away from social media entirely during the playoffs, even deleting apps from his phone, as he led Indiana to a National Championship.
That title run, combined with his individual performances, has positioned him among a rare group of quarterbacks expected to win a national title and go first overall in the same year.
Raiders’ Draft strategy
The Raiders may be leaning toward selecting Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, but general manager John Spytek made it clear the franchise is still weighing its options, including potential trade offers.
Speaking ahead of the 2026 Draft, Spytek confirmed that multiple teams have already reached out about the top selection. “We’ve gotten a few calls, and those teams know where they stand,” Spytek said at his pre-draft news conference.
While the Raiders remain widely expected to take Mendoza, Spytek emphasized that no decision is locked in.
The Raiders front office is keeping an open mind, particularly if a trade could bring strong value without sacrificing access to top talent.
“If there’s a player that stands out that we feel it’s not worth losing, it’s not worth even picking up the phone, then we’ll just make the pick,” Spytek said. “But if it’s a player that we’re not as excited about, or there’s a group of players that we would love to pick from and we can get value for that, we’re certainly open to listening to that.”
The 2026 NFL Draft is scheduled to take place from April 23–25 in Pittsburgh.
Mendoza still the likely choice
If Las Vegas stays put and selects Mendoza, the former Indiana Hoosiers star would make history as the 30th quarterback taken No. 1 overall in the common draft era (since 1967).
Mendoza is coming off a historic college season, leading Indiana to a 16-0 record and its first national championship, while also winning the Heisman Trophy.
Even if drafted, Mendoza may not be handed the starting role immediately. The Raiders already have veterans Kirk Cousins and Aidan O’Connell on the roster, and the team appears open to easing a rookie into action.
“Ultimately, this is a meritocracy, and the best guy will play,” Spytek said. “It’s just really hard to play really well at a young age. But we’ve seen plenty of quarterbacks do it recently. We added Kirk, we have Aidan, and we’ll see how it goes.”
