How much will Fernando Mendoza do at the NFL scouting combine?
The NFL released its invite list for the 2026 combine last Wednesday. The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner is one of 15 quarterbacks who were asked to participate in the combine, along with notable names like Alabama’s Ty Simpson, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Miami’s Carson Beck. Overall, 319 players have been invited to the combine.
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Mendoza is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders after he led Indiana to a 16-0 season and the national championship. The Raiders recently hired Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to be their next head coach.
With Mendoza a near-lock to be the No. 1 pick, it seems unlikely that he’ll do many of the physical drills at the combine. Top-tier quarterbacks have largely preferred to throw at their own pro days in recent seasons — and with no other real contenders to go at No. 1, there’s not much else that Mendoza needs to do to sell himself to the Raiders.
Outside of Mendoza, Simpson is viewed as a possible first-round pick as well.
Mendoza will have eight other teammates at the combine, including running back Roman Hemby and wide receivers Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. However, running back Kaelon Black and defensive end Mikail Kamara were not invited.
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Hemby was Indiana’s leading rusher with 230 carries for 1,120 yards and seven scores. Black, a transfer from James Madison when coach Curt Cignetti was hired at Indiana, had 1,040 yards and 10 TDs on 186 carries.
Kamara totaled 12 sacks and 22 tackles for loss in his two seasons at Indiana. Though he had just two sacks in 2025, he was massive in the College Football Playoff. His blocked punt in the third quarter of the national championship game win over Miami put the Hoosiers up 17-7.
Here’s the complete invitation list for the 2026 NFL combine. The event begins on Feb. 26.
Quarterbacks
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Haynes King, Georgia Tech
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Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
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Behren Morton, Texas Tech
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Cole Payton, North Dakota State
Running backs
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Kaytron Allen, Penn State
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Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest
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Jonah Coleman, Washington
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Rahsul Faison, South Carolina
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Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
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Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
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Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
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Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas
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Wide receivers
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Vinny Anthony II, Wisconsin
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Denzel Boston, Washington
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Zachariah Branch, Georgia
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Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee
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Jeff Caldwell, Cincinnati
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Kevin Coleman Jr., Missouri
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Caleb Douglas, Texas Tech
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Malachi Fields, Notre Dame
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Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Kansas
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Bryce Lance, North Dakota State
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Donaven McCulley, Michigan
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Eric Rivers, Georgia Tech
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De’Zhaun Stribling, Mississippi
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J. Michael Sturdivant, Florida
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Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State
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Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
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Reggie Virgil, Texas Tech
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Harrison Wallace III, Mississippi
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Jalen Walthall, Incarnate Word
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Antonio Williams, Clemson
Tight ends
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Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M
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Khalil Dinkins, Penn State
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John Michael Gyllenborg, Wyoming
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Will Kacmarek, Ohio State
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Miles Kitselman, Tennessee
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Riley Nowakowski, Indiana
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Dae’Quan Wright, Mississippi
Offensive linemen
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Evan Beerntsen, Northwestern
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Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M
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Jude Bowry, Boston College
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Parker Brailsford, Alabama
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Fernando Carmona, Arkansas
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Dametrious Crownover, Texas A&M
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Fa’alili Fa’amoe, Wake Forest
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Matt Gulbin, Michigan State
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Max Iheanachor, Arizona State
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Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State
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Diego Pounds, Mississippi
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Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M
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Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech
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Billy Schrauth, Notre Dame
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Logan Taylor, Boston College
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Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern
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Carver Willis, Washington
Defensive linemen
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Vincent Anthony Jr., Duke
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Jaishawn Barham, Michigan
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Nick Barrett, South Carolina
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DeMonte Capehart, Clemson
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Brandon Cleveland, N.C. State
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Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
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Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State
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Skyler Gill-Howard, Texas Tech
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George Gumbs Jr., Florida
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Zxavian Harris, Mississippi
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Romello Height, Texas Tech
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Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
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Aidan Hubbard, Northwestern
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Quintayvious Hutchins, Boston College
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Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
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Bobby Jamison-Travis, Auburn
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Marvin Jones Jr., Oklahoma
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Joshua Josephs, Tennessee
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Chris McClellan, Missouri
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Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
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Domonique Orange, Iowa State
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Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana
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Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan
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Damonic Williams, Oklahoma
Linebackers
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Keyshaun Elliott, Arizona State
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Justin Jefferson, Alabama
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Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
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Xavian Sorey Jr., Arkansas
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Scooby Williams, Texas A&M
Defensive backs
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Keith Abney II, Arizona State
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Marcus Allen, North Carolina
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Brandon Cisse, South Carolina
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Tacario Davis, Washington
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Charles Demmings, Stephen F. Austin
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Thaddeus Dixon, North Carolina
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Ahmari Harvey, Georgia Tech
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Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State
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Chris Johnson, San Diego State
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Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina
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Latrell McCutchin Sr., Houston
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Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo
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Toriano Pride Jr., Missouri
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Ephesians Prysock, Washington
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DeShon Singleton, Nebraska
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Robert Spears-Jennings, Oklahoma
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Lorenzo Styles Jr., Ohio State
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Zakee Wheatley, Penn State
Special teams
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P Tommy Doman Jr., Florida
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P Ryan Eckley, Michigan State
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P Jack Stonehouse, Syracuse
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K Dominic Zvada, Michigan
