Indiana football 2026 NFL draft projections. What experts are saying

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football will make history in this week’s 2026 NFL Draft. The Hoosiers are expected to send a record number of players to the NFL later this week starting with former IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza going No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.

He won’t be the only former Indiana player to hear their name called with prominent mock drafts predicting as many as 10 IU players from last year’s team getting selected across the three-day event. Indiana hasn’t had a player drafted in the first round since the New York Giants drafted receiver Thomas Lewis in 1994. The Hoosiers haven’t had a player drafted No.

1 overall in the modern era. Over the last two decades, IU hasn’t had more than three players drafted in a single year. Here's a roundup of the latest projections: More: Why Indiana football will 'look a lot different in the fall' ESPN.

com (Jordan Reid) Fernando Mendoza, No. 1 (Round 1); Las Vegas Raiders Omar Cooper, No. 19 (Round 1); Carolina Panthers D’Angelo Ponds, No.