History of Indiana QBs in the NFL: Fernando Mendoza leads select group of Hoosiers to reach pros

Steve Bradley became the first Hoosier to throw a pass in the NFL in 1987, when he started a game for the Chicago Bears. In his lone professional start, Bradley completed 6 of 18 passes and threw for 77 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions in a 19-17 loss against the New Orleans Saints. He would be released following the loss.

Indiana's best QB in the NFL was comfortably Trent Green. The former Hoosier had a 15-year career in the NFL and has the 67th most passing yards with 28,475. He was drafted by the Chargers with the third-to-last pick in the 1993 NFL Draft. While he didn't start until the 1998 season, he exceeded expectations with 3,441 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, and became a free agent. After a stint with the Rams, he found his footing with the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2003, Green had his breakout year, throwing for 4,039 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions; this season's performance was enough to earn his first nod to the Pro Bowl. He led the Chiefs to a 13–3 record and a first-round bye in the playoffs before falling to Peyton Manning's Colts. In 2005, he was named to his second Pro Bowl after throwing for 4,010 yards (second to Tom Brady). After this, his career began to fizzle out largely due to repeated concussions, and he retired in 2009.

Here's the full list of Indiana quarterbacks to be selected in the NFL Draft since 1970:

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How Fernando Mendoza compares to Indiana QBs in NFL

Barring an injury, Mendoza should be on track to have the second-most passing yards by an Indiana QB in his first NFL season. It may be some time before he is able to catch Green to top the charts, but Mendoza's career outlook is certainly bright.

He will become the highest-drafted Hoosier QB when his name is called on April 23, most likely to the Las Vegas Raiders, and the first to be drafted in the first round. In fact, Mendoza will be the first Indiana QB to be drafted earlier than the sixth round.

If all goes to plan, Mendoza has a very good shot of being the best Hoosier QB to play in the NFL. He will be drafted by a team that desperately needs help at the quarterback position, and Mendoza proved to be a great team leader for Indiana during their first-ever college football championship.

During the 2025-2026 season for the Hoosiers, Mendoza broke IU’s single-season touchdown record that was set by Kurtis Rourke. He became the first Hoosiers quarterback to throw 30 or more touchdowns in a season. He was also the first Indiana QB to win the Heisman. Mendoza was 39 yards shy of breaking Nate Sudfield's program record for most passing yards in a single season (3,573). Here are Mendoza's complete stats for his collegiate career, where he showed vast improvement.

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