Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jets Insider Makes Fernando Mendoza Prediction After Indiana-Ohio State Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jake Elman | Last updated Dec 7, 2025 9:24 AM ET

New York Jets insider Rich Cimini is skeptical that the Jets will have an opportunity to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Mendoza impressed in Saturday's 13–10 Big Ten Championship Game victory over Ohio State, finishing 15 of 23 for 222 yards, one touchdown and an interception against the No. 1 Buckeyes. The Hoosiers moved to 13–0 and won their first Big Ten title since 1967 largely because of Mendoza, a Cal transfer and projected top-10 pick.

Cimini wrote on X/Twitter that he was impressed by Mendoza's poise, especially against a Buckeyes team that hadn't lost since Nov. 30, 2024.

"Overcame early adversity (INT, vicious hit, loss of top WR) and made some championship throws in the second half vs a premier defense," Cimini said. "Alas, #Jets would have to trade up to get him, reaching into that war chest of picks."

Could the New York Jets Select Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore in the 2026 NFL Draft?

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

As of Dec. 7, the Jets are on pace to pick No. 7 and No. 23 (via the Indianapolis Colts) in the 2026 NFL Draft's first round. Athlon Sports' Luke Easterling predicted in his Dec. 7 mock draft that the Las Vegas Raiders would select Mendoza at No. 4, with the Jets taking Oregon's Dante Moore at No. 7.

"Moore is a smooth operator in the pocket who throws with timing, touch and precision, making sound decisions with the football and negotiating the pocket with ample athleticism," Easterling wrote.

The 6-foot-3, 206-pound Moore has completed 72.5% of his passes for 2,733 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions for the No. 4 Ducks. He has also rushed for 191 yards and a touchdown on 3.4 yards per carry.

If the Jets were to trade up for a quarterback, they currently have 13 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, including two second-round picks.

Dante Moore has these throws in him and the offense just doesn’t ask him to do it often. Amazing pic.twitter.com/RzFIXqX3Et
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) November 9, 2025

As of Dec. 7, the Jets have three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster: Tyrod Taylor, Justin Fields and Brady Cook. The Jets benched Fields last month and named Taylor, the 36-year-old journeyman, their starter.

Cimini predicted in November that the Jets would renegotiate Fields’ contract if they kept him for the 2026 season. The Jets will incur a $22 million cap charge if they release Fields in the offseason. Taylor is in the final year of a two-year, $12 million contract.

The Jets have used a first-round pick on a quarterback four times since 2000: Chad Pennington (2000), Mark Sanchez (2009), Sam Darnold (2018) and Zach Wilson (2021). Of those four, only Pennington stayed with the Jets for longer than five years.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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