A record high of 320,000 fans flooded Pittsburgh for the 2026 NFL Draft. But No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza, watched it all unfold from Miami, surrounded by roughly 80 friends and family. It was by choice, and it all started with his family.

Pittsburgh hosted the draft. The Las Vegas Raiders held the No. 1 pick. When asked why he didn’t make the trip to Pennsylvania, and why he chose Vegas over the city that was hosting his big moment, Mendoza was direct:

“To be honest, I chose the Raiders over Pittsburgh,” Mendoza said, per Jesse Merrick of Silver & Black Sports Network.

His reason for staying home had nothing to do with football. It was all for his mother, Elsa Mendoza.

Elsa has battled Multiple Sclerosis (MS, an autoimmune disease) for almost two decades and uses a wheelchair. Had Mendoza and his mother gone to Pittsburgh for the draft, they would then have had to immediately turn around and fly cross-country to Las Vegas for his introductory press conference. Fernando wasn’t asking her to do that. He wanted her in Vegas the next day when the Raiders officially introduced him as their franchise quarterback.

Moreover, Elsa has been a prominent figure in Fernando’s story right from the start. Back in December 2025, she published an open letter on The Players’ Tribune before the draft describing how her MS diagnosis ran alongside Fernando’s entire college career.

Fernando and his younger brother Alberto had already raised more than $364,000 for the National MS Society through grassroots fundraising – starting with the “Mendoza Burrito” campaign at a Berkeley restaurant, later expanding to partnerships with BuffaLouise’s and Gable’s Bagels in Bloomington, Indiana.

On the draft day itself, Fernando committed $500,00 to fund MS research at the University of Miami Health System and Miller School of Medicine, formally launching the Mendoza Family Fund. Even back when he won the Heisman, he shared a heartfelt tribute to Elsa in his speech.

“Mommy, this is your trophy as much as it is mine,” he said. “You’ve always been my biggest fan. You’re my light. You’re my why. You’re my biggest supporter.”

The Pittsburgh decision was rooted in that same feeling. He’s been making Elsa a part of every moment that matters, and the draft was no different. Pittsburgh was simply the wrong city. As for why he chose the Raiders over everything else, Mendoza has been sold on the Raiders long before they called his name first overall on Thursday.

“All the stars are aligning here.”

Mendoza declared for the draft in January and almost immediately started talking up the Raiders. By the time the Combine arrived in February, he had already met formally with the organization, reviewed film with the coaching staff, and gotten Tom Brady briefly on the phone as he walked into the meeting room. The fit was always real. And that call with Brady was personal in a way that went beyond admiration. Mendoza later described what Brady told him directly:

“He gave me the message that he’s gonna push me and he’s not gonna be all lovey dovey and that if the Raiders draft me, he is gonna be a mentor and wants to pour into whatever quarterback the Raiders have,” Mendoza revealed on the Dan Patrick Show on April 22nd.

Brady had also been on Indiana’s sideline along with Raiders owner Mark Davis and general manager John Spytek as Mendoza beat Miami 27-21 for the national championship. The Raiders brass all flew in to watch their presumed No. 1 pick in the biggest game of his life. And on draft night, Mendoza made it clear that he’s fully bought in.

“The great ownership, whether it’s Mr. Davis, Mr. Brady, what [could be] a better situation to walk into?” Mendoza said. “So, I think all the stars are aligning here, and this is a blessing, this position.”

Mendoza joins Joe Burrow and Cam Newton in a unique list of players to win the Heisman Trophy, a national championship, and go No. 1 overall in the NFL draft. However, he is not letting all of this change how he sees himself.

“I believe I’m still the underdog,” Mendoza said. “Although the draft was today, once I got drafted, I’m now part of the NFL, and I can tell you right now I am not one out of 32 – although I was picked today, one out of 32 – I’m not one out of 32 quarterbacks at this moment. So, I need to work every single day possible, because I’m on the bottom of the totem pole.”

Fernando Mendoza’s initial plan was to be in Miami for college, but he was not granted a walk-on spot when he graduated from Columbus High School. This led to him going to Indiana and eventually beating the college in the 2026 national championship game. Having worked hard to get to where he is, Mendoza will be someone Brady will really love mentoring. The signs are that he has a successful career as he is not only competing for himself, but also for his mother, who has been beside him throughout his journey.