Before the 2026 NFL draft, Indiana was one of two teams to get a spotlight at the national championship at the end of the 2025-26 season. As such, the entire world was tuned in to see if Fernando Mendoza was the real deal or if Carson Beck would be able to rise to the occasion.
Mendoza’s team triumphed, undoubtedly helping the team’s draft stock. Months later, the win paid dividends as eight total members of the national championship-winning squad joined an NFL team. Here’s a look at the players added.
Every Indiana Player Drafted in 2026 NFL Draft
Fernando Mendoza was welcomed by an applauding Raiders team with open arms at No. 1 overall, proving that he did enough to be selected ahead of every other college player heading into the NFL Draft. However, he was not the only player drafted from the team in the first round.
Omar Cooper Jr. was selected by the New York Jets at No. 30. Cooper was the first of two Indiana players drafted by the team. The next was D’Angelo Ponds.
Every round saw at least one player join an NFL roster from Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers squad.
In total, six offensive players were drafted, while two defensive players were added. AFC teams added seven, while just one, Kaelon Black, was added by an NFC team.
- Fernando Mendoza, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
- Omar Cooper Jr., WR, New York Jets
- D’Angelo Ponds, CB, New York Jets
- Kaelon Black, RB, San Francisco 49ers
- Elijah Sarratt, WR, Baltimore Ravens
- Riley Nowakowski, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Pat Coogan, C, Tennessee Titans
- Aiden Fisher, LB, Houston Texans
Which Drafted Indiana Players Could Make the Biggest Impact in 2026?
The players in line for the biggest impact are Fernando Mendoza, Omar Cooper Jr., and D’Angelo Ponds.
Mendoza will likely be a starter at some point in his rookie season, while Cooper is likely to slide in as the Jets’ WR2 behind Garrett Wilson. Ponds could be the team’s top cornerback as a replacement to Sauce Gardner.
Kaelon Black will have a chance to see significant playing time if anything happens to Christian McCaffrey or if he slows down to have fewer yards per carry in 2026 than in 2025, when he posted his lowest average since 2017.
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