Super Bowl champ makes Tom Brady comparison for top 2026 prospect
Pressure has a way of defining quarterbacks, and Fernando Mendoza hasn’t flinched under it. The Indiana signal-caller has built his draft stock around leadership and execution, not just arm strength. After moving from Cal, the Miami native helped turn Indiana into a force, finishing 16-0 and delivering the program’s first national championship.
The numbers were solid, but what stood out was how he handled the big moments. MORE: Chargers star explains why active NFL players should avoid 2028 Olympics Still, some draft analysts were not completely sold on where he belonged in the pecking order. That might be changing.
Chase Daniel sees Tom Brady traits in Fernando Mendoza Former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Chase Daniel recently weighed in on “The Break Down” podcast. Daniel drew a comparison that’s hard to ignore, linking Mendoza’s skill set to Tom Brady’s approach to the position. “I never thought of Tom Brady as like this huge, armed type guy like John Elway, right?
I would say it’d probably be middle of the pack. That’s not what Brady was ever going to win you with. Brady was always going to win you with his brain,” Daniel said.
“I think that’s where Fernando Mendoza really crosses that line for me as quarterback. ” The Brady mention is not just draft season noise. James Palmer reported that conversations at the NFL Scouting Combine pointed to the Las Vegas Raiders zeroing in on a specific quarterback profile.