The New Orleans Saints could have the No. 1 pick in 2026.
That’s what happens when you don’t really have an answer at the quarterback position heading into a new season. Tankathon projects the Saints to be the worst team in football, and if that happens, they may look to the top of the draft board to choose a new QB.
The most shocking thing about 11 months before New Orleans would have to make that decision? The name who has emerged at the top of one reputable draft board.
Yahoo lead NFL writer Nate Tice has Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza as his QB1.
Mendoza just transferred to the Hoosiers from Indiana, and Tice writes that if Arch Manning stays in school, he’s got Mendoza on top of his board.
“First and foremost, Mendoza checks the box for size at the position,” Tice writes. “Listed at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, Mendoza has long limbs and a frame that he can grow into even more.
“What first pops off the screen in Mendoza’s play is the zip he can put on the football. Every throw is available in the playbook. His long levers don’t elongate his operation, opening up quick game throws and packaged plays like bubbles and flats. He can push the ball outside the numbers with ease and maintain accuracy even as he drives the football, opening up downfield concepts and intermediate throws.”
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Tice thinks Mendoza is the perfect match for Indiana.
“Mendoza’s talent will be more evident in his new surroundings in Bloomington, mainly because he gets to play with better teammates (although Cal tight end Jack Endries, who transferred to Texas, is a very good player) but also because he gets to join an offense overseen by head coach Curt Cignetti,” Tice writes.
A Hoosiers QB going No. 1 overall to the Big Easy? Now that’d be quite the story.
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