On Friday Night, everyone expected to see an incredible matchup between two elite teams as Indiana faced off against Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal. While a trip to the National Championship Game being on the line was the main storyline for the NFL, there was another storyline unfolding. Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore have been talked about as first-round picks throughout this season, giving scouts a second head-to-head matchup to watch.
Fernando Mendoza has been trending toward being the 1st Overall Pick and the first quarterback off the board for most of this season. While Mendoza has been on a meteoric rise at Indiana, there's been some debate over whether Dante Moore was a prospect with a higher upside who could go 1st Overall.
Fernando Mendoza should start packing for Las Vegas
If Fernando Mendoza wasn't playing in this game, the performance that Dante Moore put together would've been great for his draft stock alone. Moore finished the game 24-39 for 285 yards and 2 touchdowns with an interception and 2 fumbles. Dante Moore's second touchdown came on the final drive of the game when the game was well over.
For a big chunk of the season, it looked like Dante Moore may return to Oregon for one more season to gain more experience, and after how he struggled that seems even more likely.
Fernando Mendoza, on the other side, put together a performance that Indiana fans will never forget, passing for 177 yards and 5 touchdowns, going 17-20 passing. Mendoza didn't need to air the ball out much, but when he did, he was almost flawless.
In the playoffs, Mendoza is 31-36 for 369 yards and 8 touchdowns without an interception as he's diced the Alabama and Oregon defenses. The biggest issue for Mendoza has been that every game is a blowout, limiting his production.
Any conversations around who should be the 1st Overall Pick are now over as Fernando Mendoza has been stellar all season long. The Las Vegas Raiders have been searching for a franchise quarterback, and now they're in a place to land one with Mendoza's emergence.