How good is Fernando Mendoza? Why Indiana QB is drawing Kirk Cousins comparisons in 2026 NFL Draft

How good is Fernando Mendoza? Why Indiana QB compares to Kirk Cousins

Demeanor

From a non-football standpoint, it's hard to say Mendoza's demeanor and personality resemble any NFL quarterback better than Cousins. Ever since his famous "You like that!" moment, Cousins has had a reputation for being a well-spoken, upbeat, driven leader, whether on the field, in the locker room or simply when speaking to the media.

Both Cousins and Mendoza are so well-spoken that they almost sound like they are reading from a script at times, and both tend to put the focus on their teammates as soon as they're asked a question about themselves. That kind of attitude can help a quarterback quickly gain the trust of his teammates, and you don't hear of many teammates of Cousins who have a bad word to say about him.

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Decision-making

On the field, Cousins overcomes some of his lack of athleticism and arm-strength limitations because he is so cerebral in the pocket. Once he settled in as a full-time starter in Washington, Cousins did his best to keep the ball out of harm’s way in a high-octane passing offense, posting an interception rate of only 1.8 percent over his six seasons in Minnesota. Extrapolated over a full career, that would be tied for the fourth-best mark of all time.

Mendoza showed similar traits at Indiana. While able to play more physically than Cousins because of his size, Mendoza rarely panicked in the pocket and committed himself to keeping the ball out of harm’s way, even when he and the Hoosiers were having a tough time finding traction. That allowed Indiana to win defensive battles such as the Big Ten championship and the national championship game.

Mendoza threw only six interceptions in both 2024 at California and 2025 at Indiana, and he didn’t throw a single interception in three College Football Playoff starts. Mendoza doesn’t necessarily have the arm that other No. 1 picks do, but his ability to know what to do with the ball at all times allows him to overcome those limitations.

Quality arm strength

To that point, neither Cousins nor Mendoza have an arm that totally jumps off the page like Josh Allen's, for example. Cousins has solid arm strength, while Mendoza's can likewise be classified as good-not-great. That's a problem if you can't process defenses quickly enough or panic in the pocket, but both Cousins and Mendoza have shown an ability to work with what they have without trying to do too much.

At this point in his career, Cousins likely doesn't have the arm Mendoza does now. If Mendoza can prove his ability to process defenses and make sound decisions translates to the NFL, that could give him a leg up in the Raiders' quarterback competition, assuming Las Vegas makes the pick.

MORE:Complete history of Indiana QBs in the NFL

High floor

Cousins has made so much money in the NFL in part because teams know what they are getting from him. While he may not be an elite quarterback, he has spent most of his career as a quality-to-high-quality starter who gives his teams a chance to reach the playoffs.

Mendoza could be the same type of player, with even more athleticism. His cerebral way of playing the position and taking what defenses give him should allow him to be a quality starter at the very least, though whether he has the physical tools to be an elite starter is a legitimate question.

Some might hear that and wonder why Mendoza is the projected No. 1 pick if he projects as a Cousins-type quarterback. While a better quarterback class might have made it more of a debate, the reality is franchise quarterbacks are hard to come by in the NFL, and the career of a Cousins- or Matt Ryan-type player is a great one, even if "very good" is a better way to describe them than "consistently elite.