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Nfl Mock Draft Fernando Mendoza Vs Dante Moore The Ringer

Bonisiwe Shabane
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nfl mock draft fernando mendoza vs dante moore the ringer

With the 2025 NFL regular season now officially in the books, the top of the order of the 2026 draft is locked into place. For fans of the teams that failed to book a postseason trip, the focus shifts to the future—and the offseason moves that could change their teams’ fortunes. The draft is the best way for bad teams to rebuild. The draft represents hope. Every player that’s picked in the first round could be the catalyst of a new era of success for the team that takes him. It’s still really early in the draft process, and a handful of the biggest names in draft conversations right now could still decide to return to school for another year.

But that’s not going to stop me from building my first mock draft of the season. Using the current draft order via Tankathon, let’s dig into what the first round could look like. The Geno Smith experiment has not gone as the Raiders had hoped, leaving Las Vegas with a massive need at the most important position in sports. The team addresses that hole here, taking a polished and steely signal caller in Mendoza. The Hoosiers star and Heisman winner is an accurate rhythm passer who helped elevate the Indiana football program to new heights. The Raiders surely hope that Mendoza can do that with their franchise as well.

The Jets haven’t exactly had the best luck at picking quarterbacks for, well, forever, but that doesn’t mean they should stop trying. New York grabs a talented passer here in Moore, who throws with good zip and accuracy both from the pocket and on the run. Moore has a limited number of college starts (19 between his time at Oregon and UCLA), but he’s an ascending playmaker with the tools to develop into a franchise quarterback. The Cardinals have holes all over the roster, so they can go in pretty much any direction with this pick. They make a prudent choice in bolstering the offensive line here, grabbing a potential bookend tackle in Fano to pair with 2023 first-rounder Paris Johnson Jr. Fano has experience starting at both tackle spots, but Arizona could drop him on the right side from day one.

There’s no telling what the Cardinals will do at quarterback going forward, but whatever path they take, it’ll help to have some quality blocking up front. With only two games left before a national champion is crowned, the College Football Playoff Semifinals deliver a headline matchup that transcends wins and losses. When Indiana and Oregon meet again, the spotlight won’t just be on schemes or star receivers, it will be firmly fixed on the two quarterbacks at the center of it all. Fernando Mendoza vs. Dante Moore isn’t just a rematch. It’s a referendum on the future of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Both quarterbacks have been elite this season, and many evaluators already view them as the two best quarterback prospects in college football. Now, with a trip to the College Football Playoff National Championship on the line, this semifinal matchup becomes “good on good” at the highest level, two premier signal-callers, two elite defenses, and a chance... With the transfer policy and NIL revenue encouraging players to maximize their college eligibility, the 2026 NFL Draft lacks the bonanza of high-end talent we’ve seen in previous years. That said, there are plenty of future NFL starters — and even stars — at every position available. Like always, the organizations whose scouting and coaching departments are aligned will likely improve their rosters the most with their selections between April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. But therein lies the cold reality.

Many of the teams whose seasons just ended are facing massive decisions within their coaching and scouting departments. The Falcons just dismissed their head coach and general manager and personnel changes are expected elsewhere in the coming days, which will cause ripple effects throughout the league. There's still much to sort out, but the conclusion of the NFL’s regular season Sunday night locked in the selection order for the first 18 picks of the draft. And with the player pool clarifying each day as the college season finishes, we are now on the cusp of "draft season." With that, here's our latest 2026 mock draft. It promises to be a fascinating offseason in Las Vegas, where Geno Smith's future is up in the air after head coach Pete Carroll was fired. Regardless of whether the Raiders bring back Smith, getting a fresh face at the game’s most important position is critical to keeping the fan base believing.

Mendoza has looked every bit the No. 1 overall pick in earning the Heisman Trophy and guiding Indiana to a possible national championship. Mendoza’s physical traits — a prototypical frame, lightning-quick release, pocket mobility and accuracy to all levels of the field — warrant a first round selection, but it's his decision-making and poise that has turned... The immediate concern for Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore is the Peach Bowl, a College Football Playoff semifinal on Friday. Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, leads No. 1 Indiana against No.

5 Oregon, which is guided by Moore. This matchup could also play a role in determining which player is picked No. 1 in the 2026 NFL Draft. Moore and Mendoza are considered to the top quarterback prospects, and QBs are the most coveted players by NFL teams. Here's what you should know about the matchup and what NFL mock drafts say about it. Indiana beat host Oregon 30-20 on Oct.

11. Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers. Dante Moore has completed a combined 45 of 60 passes for 547 yards in Oregon's two Playoff wins.

Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images Several potential top-20 prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft are still busy with the College Football Playoff, so NFL front offices will have to wait a little longer to find exactly who’s going to... Will Oregon QB Dante Moore and Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza join the ’26 draft class? (TCU quarterback Josh Hoover announcing his transfer to Indiana probably gives us a hint at the latter’s decision.) Are both of Miami’s standout underclassmen, Francis Mauigoa and Rueben Bain Jr., going to take the... Could Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss shake up the entire quarterback group?

We’ll get all of those answers in the coming weeks. With the NFL regular season coming to an end in dramatic fashion Sunday night, though, let’s take a look at how Round 1 could play out: It’s time for Tom Brady and company to rip the cord on a quarterback. So long as he declares, Moore would be an exciting choice. The 20-year-old QB is light on experience, but his blend of football IQ, athletic instinct, poise and arm talent is beyond his years. He has the right mindset for a challenge like this and offers a skill set worth investing in.

Any given Sunday in the NFL can see teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills suffer upsets. In those upsets, past first round talent like Drake Maye and Jaxson Dart has shown just why finding the right talent in the draft can jumpstart a team’s rebuild or roster reset. In a week that also saw top draft pics from the 2025 NFL Draft like Cam Ward and Travis Hunter make impact plays to help their team’s win, the attention starts to really shift... The beauty of NFL Mock Drafts is those fits can change week to week. Any given Sunday can find a team like the Baltimore Ravens near the top in draft positioning and a team like the Indianapolis Colts shocking the NFL as one of the best teams. In what was labeled the next great draft class when it comes to quarterbacks, the 2025 college football season hasn’t played out that way.

Top prospects going into the season like Arch Manning, Cade Klubnik, Garrett Nussmeier and Drew Allar haven’t staked their claim as the top prospect in the draft. Instead, quarterbacks like Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore are separating themselves from the pack. In a Week 7 match between the 5-0 Ducks and 5-0 Hoosiers, both Mendoza and Moore will get to showcase their talent to NFL scouts. The winner of this matchup will be in position to be the top QB off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft. Pro Football and Sports Network covers all the major professional sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Tennis, WNBA, NASCAR, and more. The talk of the 2026 NFL Draft, like any other, surrounds the quarterbacks.

This upcoming class of prospects features two signal-callers primed to be top selections. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza just wrapped up a Heisman-winning season. He led the Hoosiers to an undefeated 13-0 record en route to winning the Big Ten Championship. Oregon’s Dante Moore had an electrifying season as a first-year, full-time starter. He led the Ducks to an 11-1 regular season and a recent victory in the College Football Playoff. Let’s review some of the strengths they share as prospects, as well as specific traits where one may offer more than the other.

The first attribute that both Mendoza and Moore provide to an NFL team is accuracy. Whether from the pocket or on the move, they can each place the football exactly where it needs to be. One specific part of the field where both quarterbacks showed their ability to fit tight-window throws was near the sideline. Mendoza and Moore both have quick releases. The football leaves their hands with plenty of velocity. Not only can they instantly wind up to throw, but they also have the fluidity to quickly turn and set their base.

Both quarterbacks throw from a strong platform.

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