NFL wanted Manning to talk Mendoza into coming to the draft
Fernando Mendoza will not attend the 2026 NFL Draft despite a special phone call from Peyton Manning.
No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza has already announced he will not be attending the NFL Draft. He wanted to celebrate with his family in Miami because his mother has health issues.
It didn’t stop the NFL, however, from trying to talk him into coming. In fact, they pulled out the big guns to do it. According to numerous reports, the NFL asked Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning to try to talk him into it.
Manning recently talked about his draft experience at an NFL event and about reaching out to Mendoza. "It was a special day, I'll be honest. The NFL reached out to me, I reached out to Mendoza to maybe encourage him to go to the draft, I know he's staying home with his family, which will be fine.
But it is special to be there. . .