All of Fernando Mendoza's social handles: How to follow prospective Raiders NFL draft pick on IG, LinkedIn and more originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2026 NFL Draft is here, and every year, top NFL Draft picks' social media profiles are the first way fans can connect with the newest additions to their favorite NFL teams. Last year, NFL picks such as Travis Hunter, Jaxson Dart, and Shedeur Sanders, had a huge spike in their social media followings at the 2025 NFL Draft.
Fernando Mendoza, who led Indiana University to its first-ever National Championship, is also the prospective No. 1 Draft pick of the Las Vegas Raiders. At the time of this writing, Mendoza has 1 million followers on Instagram, 99,700 followers on TikTok, and 218,486 followers on LinkedIn. While he has shared that he has only the LinkedIn and YouTube apps on his phone he does not have a verified YouTube page. Take a look below at how to connect with Mendoza:
While fans are anxious to see the Mendoza's big moment on draft night, the Heisman Trophy winner shared earlier this month that he will not be in attendance. His reason for not attending what will be another big night in his career makes sense if you have been following the former Indiana Hoosier star. He is big on supporting his family and has decided to stay close for the night.
“Pittsburgh is a great opportunity and it’s a great venue, and I’m really excited to see all the guys or most of the guys walk across the stage on Thursday night,” Mendoza told Rich Eisen on SportsCenter on Monday, April 20. “However, my mom really wanted to do it at home and so did my parents, it’s a lot easier for us, especially with the family situation.”
Fernando Mendoza shares with @richeisen why he will be celebrating the NFL draft at home and not in Pittsburgh.(via @richeisenshow) pic.twitter.com/Q503CS4woJ
Mendoza has been open about his mother, Elsa's, health, as she has multiple sclerosis.
The 2026 NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh starting Thursday (April 23) to Saturday (April 25). Take a look below at the times for this year's NFL Draft:
Thursday, April 23 − Round 1: 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT
Friday, April 24 − Rounds 2-3: 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT
Saturday, April 25 − Rounds 4-7: Noon ET / 11 a.m. CT
The NFL Draft will air on the NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN Deportes. Fans can sstream on NFL+.
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