The NFL Combine gives prospects a chance to interview with future employers. Those interviews often include questions that stray far from the ordinary. On February 27, while speaking with CBS Sports, Fernando Mendoza, who’s widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, shared one such strange encounter. During a sit-down with a team representative, he was hit with a bizarre request that he can only assume was a joke.

“It was, ‘Hey, maybe you should get arrested.’ I was a little confused, but then it was like to slide. Hopefully, I don’t get arrested,” Fernando Mendoza said when CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala asked Mendoza about the strangest question he received at the NFL Combine.

Mendoza clarified that the team that asked him this question wants him to fall from the No. 1 overall pick, which he is expected to be, so that they can take him. Well, can we blame that team?

Certainly not. Mendoza had a historic 2025 season with Indiana, winning the Heisman Trophy and putting up solid numbers on the field. He completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards and threw 41 touchdowns with just six interceptions. Not to mention he did all of this with a team that had no hopes of winning and was one of the bottom feeders of college football for decades.

Mendoza also added 276 rushing yards and seven more scores on the ground. So, bringing in a player like him into the unit would make all 32 teams better across the board.

As of now, his chances of going to the Las Vegas Raiders are pretty high, but teams without a No. 1 pick are trying to make their case.

He is the best back-shoulder thrower in the class with precise timing and ball placement. Now, he might not be a dual-threat quarterback, but he can move well enough to run option plays and avoid pressure, which makes him a solid choice for teams. In fact, his signature fourth down run for a touchdown at the championship game against Miami should remove any doubts around his toughness when it comes to carrying the ball forward.

That said, everyone knows about the uncertainty the drafts hold. Players who are projected as early-round picks sometimes move down all of a sudden. Just take Shedeur Sanders’ example, who was supposed to go in as an early first-round pick but fell all the way down to the 5th round and was selected at the 144th pick to the Cleveland Browns.

Even Aaron Rodgers, who many consider the best thrower of the ball ever, dropped down the first round to finally get picked at 24th overall by the Green Bay Packers.

But no other draft slide is as notorious as the one by Laremy Tunsil from Ole Miss. On draft day 2016, a video of Tunsil smoking marijuana through a gas mask was posted on his official Twitter account. Tunsil ended up falling to pick 13 and lost millions of dollars as he was supposed to be a Top 5 pick. But he went on to be a 5x Pro Bowler and one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL.

This gives other teams a chance to pitch for themselves and hope that Mendoza, too, falls off the grid. But looking at his combine responses and the Raiders’ interest, that looks highly unlikely.

Fernando Mendoza gets real about his next destination

After turning heads with Indiana last year, Mendoza is now aiming to become the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Now, one team that’s been showing interest in him since the start is the Raiders, and during the NFL Scouting Combine, he finished his interview with the team.

“It was a fantastic interview,” Mendoza said. “Coaching staff was in there. We went over some of my previous plays and did plays on the board. I thought it was a great meeting.”

During that time, he connected briefly with Tom Brady, the minority owner, as he was able to say hi to him on the phone. Mendoza is excited to get a chance to learn from Brady in the future.

“Yeah, I mean, who hasn’t admired Tom Brady? I mean, more Super Bowl rings than anybody … anybody!” Mendoza said. “So, that opportunity would be fantastic. Tom Brady, I believe, is the greatest quarterback of all time, by a wide margin, and to be able to have the opportunity to be mentored by him would mean so much.”

On top of it, Fernando Mendoza will not work out at the combine. Instead, he plans to throw at Indiana’s pro day on April 1, and later, he might also visit the Raiders. He wants to throw to his own receivers rather than throwing to someone unfamiliar. Being a perfect leader, Mendoza wants to highlight his teammates. He isn’t the only one who stayed away from the drills at the combine. Ohio State star safety Caleb Downs also did not do his drills and is waiting for his own pro day as well with his teammates.

For now, let’s wait and see how all of his plans turn out and if he actually gets into the Raiders as the No. 1 pick or not.