Haynes King is moving on from college and setting his sights on the NFL. Projections place him as a late Day 3 pick or a priority UDFA, with some seventh-round buzz. Even with an inconsistent week at the East-West Shrine Bowl, King did enough to draw interest from a $5.4 billion NFL franchise, keeping his draft stock alive.

“The Lions reportedly spent “a lot of time” talking with Dual-Threat Georgia Tech QB Haynes King after his throwing session at the Shrine Bowl, ” posted The Detroit Times on X, per reports by Mike Payton of A to Z Sports.

King’s week at the Shrine Bowl was a mixed bag. He reportedly struggled with accuracy and decision-making during practices. That included a rough first day where he threw four interceptions. Even so, he still entered the event as one of the more intriguing quarterback prospects. It was largely because of what he put on tape during a strong 2025 season at Georgia Tech.

That season showed exactly why teams remain interested. King threw for 2,951 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 953 rushing yards and 15 scores on the ground. That mix of passing results and movement is hard to ignore in today’s NFL, especially for offenses that value players who can improvise. Naturally, the Taysom Hill comparisons have followed. New Orleans has long used Hill as an all-rounder.

He was part quarterback, part tight end, part RB. And a team like Detroit could look at King with the same game plan. Land him in the seventh round, let him throw a bit, but really give defenses a hard time with his legs. There’s an important difference, though. While Hill quickly became an all-around offensive piece in the NFL, King is entering the league with just a QB profile. His final seasons at Georgia Tech etched that in stone. King’s upside is his superior passing production.

He set an ACC record for completion percentage in 2024 (72.9%) and was one of just two players in the country to post high-end passing and rushing numbers in 2023. NFL teams see him as an interesting but still developing QB. The problem now is how he should be used. Teams love his elite speed, a sub-4.5 in the 40, which is just like Hill’s 4.44. But King wants to stick under center, not be moved all over the field.

With King’s NFL future still taking shape, the big question now is: Who will take over at quarterback for the Yellow Jackets? But it looks like they already have a solid option waiting in the wings.

The Yellow Jackets got their own Mendoza

Alberto Mendoza announced his transfer from Indiana to Georgia Tech on January 20, 2026. Guess what? He made the decision and signed with the Yellow Jackets less than 24 hours after Indiana won its first-ever Natty. But why leave a title-winning program where his older brother, Fernando, helped make history?

Mendoza explained it simply. “Opportunities in this game are short, and sometimes chasing your dreams requires difficult choices,” he said. The Hoosiers have already landed former TCU starting quarterback Josh Hoover from the transfer portal. It more or less made it clear who would be the next signal caller. That left Mendoza again waiting for his turn. Georgia Tech wasted no time jumping in.

The Yellow Jackets were among the first schools to show interest, and for good reason. Mendoza played in nine games for the Hoosiers, completing 18 of 24 passes for 286 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception. He didn’t play much, but when he did, he made it count. His numbers pop off the page with a 75 percent completion rate and a 235.5 passer rating.

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Those are among the best in college football for quarterbacks with his level of attempts. There’s also a little family fuel behind this move. Fernando Mendoza has repeatedly said his younger brother will be better than him.  Their high school coach, Dave Dunn, once summed it up perfectly

“Alberto probably switched to quarterback because he wanted to prove that he was better than Fernando. ‘I’ll show you how to play quarterback.’ That’s how he’s wired.”

For Georgia Tech, that sibling rivalry could turn into a major win under center.