Fernando Mendoza will be with family, not at NFL Draft in Pittsburgh
While Fernando Mendoza will be in Miami watching the draft on TV, UM's Rueben Bain Jr. and Francis Mauigoa will be in Pittsburgh where the draft is being held.
The Miami Hurricanes will be represented at the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh in two weeks - but another player with 305 ties will not be among those waiting to hear their names called during the first round. Fernando Mendoza , the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback who led Indiana to the national championship, will be watching the draft with his family in Miami when the Las Vegas Raiders make him the first pick. UM defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr.
and offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa will be among the 16 draft prospects outside Pittsburgh's Acrisure Stadium. The first round will be held on the night of April 23, the second and third rounds on April 24 and rounds 4 through 7 on April 25. More NFL Draft: Miami Dolphins mock draft: Predicting 7 picks in Rounds 1-3 | Habib Ohio State will be represented by 5 players There will be one quarterback there: Alabama's Ty Simpson .
Ohio State will have five players waiting to hear their names called by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: DB Caleb Downs, DT Kayden McDonald, LBs Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles and WR Carnell Tate. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Mendoza recently informed the NFL league that he wants to share the draft experience with his family in Miami. It is unusual for the player expected to be selected first not to attend the draft, although it has happened several times recently.
The last two players selected No. 1 in the NFL who were not present both were taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars - Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (2021) and Georgia defensive end Travon Walker. Lawrence's absence came during the COVID era.