Indiana football’s Fernando Mendoza isn’t only Hoosiers player weighing NFL future
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LOS ANGELES — Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza is expected to be one of the top picks in the 2026 NFL Draft if he leaves Bloomington with a year of eligibility left after the season.
He sidestepped questions about the topic leading up to his Heisman victory as he looks to help IU win a national title, but Mendoza isn’t the only starter for the No. 1 Hoosiers (13-0) who could potentially leave early for the league.
While Mendoza’s teammates echoed his comments about keeping their focus on the upcoming Rose Bowl, they acknowledged their looming career decisions.
Indiana starting left tackle Carter Smith, who was named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, received a third-round grade from the College Advisory Committee.
“Going into the playoffs, got three more opportunities to raise that bar,” Smith said.
Smith was the sixth highest-rated offensive tackle in the country (87.9) and second highest-rated pass blocker (92.5) at his position, according to Pro Football Focus. He didn’t give up a sack this season while allowing only six quarterback pressures.
Smith said he will make a final decision about his NFL future after the season. He plans on huddling with his parents and his brother, Landon, who was a former walk-on for Ohio State.
“I’m locked into the three games, whenever our last game is, hopefully it’s after the national championship, I’ll have a couple days to sit down and think about it,” Smith said. “That’s where my head is at right now.”
Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds has received a “lot of top 100 grades” from his inner circle in recent weeks.
“Honestly, in my opinion, I want to be in the first two rounds, that’s me personally,” Ponds said.
Ponds has overcome the label of being an undersized player at his position throughout his career — he’s listed at 5-foot-9 and 173-pounds — and earned All-American honors every year he’s played.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be hard, I feel like I’ll know after the season,” Ponds said of his future. “Everything will work itself out if we perform on the field, that’s kind of my mindset.”
Indiana safety Amare Farrell will also consider all his options after the season, but he’s yet to seek out any NFL Draft feedback and didn’t put in for a grade from the College Football Advisory committee.
“For me personally, that’s how I definitely look at things, I just want to make sure I’m locked in on one thing instead of multiple things,” Ferrell said.
Ferrell was the only player in former coach Tom Allen’s final recruiting class in 2023 who didn’t redshirt. He’s gone on to start every game for the Hoosiers over the last two seasons and put up eight interceptions during that stretch.
Indiana had multiple players drafted in 2025 (CJ West and Kurtis Rourke) for the first time since 2018. The program hasn’t had a player drafted in the first round since the New York Giants drafted receiver Thomas Lewis in 1994.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana football starters discuss looming NFL Draft decisions
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