Historic NFL Draft for the Indiana Hoosiers

Historic NFL Draft for the Indiana Hoosiers: Eight Players Selected

The 2026 NFL Draft was historic for the Indiana Hoosiers, as a record eight players were selected – the most for IU in a single draft. Let’s break down who went where and what their situation looks like heading into the pros.

QB Fernando Mendoza: Las Vegas Raiders

In a surprise to absolutely no one, Fernando Mendoza was selected No. 1 overall in the draft, adding to his case for the most successful season by an individual athlete in IU history. Being the number one pick, though, means he’s being tasked to help turn around a team in dire need of playmakers at multiple positions. In Mendoza’s case, it’s the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that went 3-14 last year. Despite that, there is a good chance he won’t see the field much his rookie season. New Las Vegas head coach Klint Kubiak stated his plan on rookie quarterbacks:

“Ideally, you don't want him to start from Day 1…You'd love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That's in a perfect world. It doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes they have to play from Day 1, and it's our job as coaches to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show.”

Solidifying that plan, the Raiders went and signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a 5-year contract worth $172 million before the draft. Cousins was a pro comparison for Mendoza a lot leading up to the draft, both in playing style and in off-field manners (a meme floating around online said that the Cousins-Mendoza tandem would keep Las Vegas’ Kohl’s in business).

WR Omar Cooper Jr.: New York Jets

With the 30th overall pick, the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets took Omar Cooper Jr., trading up to get him. Cooper was one of Mendoza’s go-to targets, leading the team in receptions (69) and yards (937). One of his most memorable moments came in the palpation-inducing comeback against Penn State, where he manipulated his body to tap his feet in the endzone for the go-ahead touchdown on a game-winning drive in the final seconds.

He joins a Jets team that is starved for offense, as they had the fourth-lowest yards per game (263.6) and were dead last in passing yards per game (140.3) last season. ESPN has Cooper slotted in as the team’s WR3 behind Garrett Wilson and former Colt Adonai Mitchell.

CB D’Angelo Ponds: New York Jets

D’Angelo Ponds will get to reunite with his former IU teammate Cooper Jr., but this time sporting Jets green instead of the Cream and Crimson. New York selected him in the second round (50th overall).

“I think it's going to be great. We had great battles at Indiana…We're going to have great battles at New York. It's going to [sic] be a great one. He's a great teammate, and, oh, we all win a lot of games."

Ponds, who has repeatedly referred to himself as the best defensive back in the draft, fell to the second round in large part due to his smaller frame. The second-team All-American is just 5-foot-8 but didn’t let that slow his play on the field, being named the defensive MVP of both the Peach Bowl and the Rose Bowl.

Ponds is joining a Jets team that made some dubious history last year, as they became the first team in NFL history to not record a single interception over an entire season. He is also joining a team led by head coach and Ponds’ pro comp, Aaron Glenn, who was also an undersized corner. 

“That's a testament to his game and my game…I think we have some similarities, and that's definitely a compliment to me."

RB Kaelon Black: San Francisco 49ers

Kaelon Black is heading to the Bay Area, where he will join former Hoosier C.J. West and Kurtis Rourke, who both led the 2024 IU team to a berth in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. San Francisco used its second third-round pick (90th overall) on the talented tailback.

Black will have his work cut out to see the field next year, as he is listed as the third-string running back behind perennial OPOY candidate Christian McCaffrey and his backup Jordan James.

Black is no stranger to pushing through adversity, though, as he was part of Curt Cignetti’s James Madison team that made the migration to Bloomington in 2024. He didn’t enter the rotation too much in 2024, but saw his usage skyrocket in 2025, with his carries going from 46 in 2024 to 186. 

WR Elijah Sarratt: Baltimore Ravens

One silver lining of falling to the later rounds is that every team has had a chance to select you and didn’t, so you can enter the league with a chip on your shoulder instead of a target on your back. This is what happened to Elijah Sarratt, who, despite leading the FBS with 15 touchdown receptions, found himself going to the Ravens in the fourth round (115th overall). Sarratt was integral to the Hoosiers in 2025, catching the go-ahead touchdown in the Big Ten championship against Ohio State.

He will now be on the receiving end of passes from Lamar Jackson, the second Heisman winner he’ll be able to say he was a receiver for. 

It also is a homecoming for Sarratt, who attended St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. 

“It means a lot. It's crazy, just how things work out like that. I feel like it is just a meant-to-be moment. Being at St. Frances Academy, it taught me so much [and helped me grow] as a man. I had a lot of great experiences there. So, I'm forever grateful that I can go back there [Baltimore] and play ball at the best level now,” said Sarratt on his return to the DMV. 

TE Riley Nowakowski: Pittsburgh Steelers

Riley Nowakowski began his career as a walk-on at Wisconsin, where he changed positions to tight end, and eventually found his way to Indiana University by way of the transfer portal. There, he became one of Mendoza’s favorite targets, catching 32 passes for 387 yards and two touchdowns. The Steelers snagged him in the fifth round (169th overall).

In Pittsburgh, Nowakowski will be able to learn under veteran tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, as he is currently TE3 on the team. He could also find himself employed as a fullback, which is a position he played before his transition to tight end. The Steelers website even lists him as such in their draft breakdown. 

C Pat Coogan: Tennessee Titans

Unfortunately, many IU fans who are also Colts fans will find it hard to buy jerseys for the last two selections, as both players went to AFC South rivals of Indianapolis, the first of which was center Pat Coogan to Tennessee in the sixth round (194th overall).

Rivalry aside, this is a good place for Coogan to compete for Week 1 playing time, as the Titans come into the year with the 22nd-best O-Line (profootballnetwork.com). As 247 Sports put it, “Centers with this kind of processing, technique, and pass protection ability have a way of finding starting jobs regardless of where they get drafted.”

LB Aiden Fisher: Houston Texans

Linebacker Aiden Fisher was the record eighth Hoosier selection in the draft, landing with the Houston Texas in the seventh round (243rd overall).

The Texans have been on the up-and-up the past few years since drafting quarterback C.J. Stroud and haven’t missed the playoffs since 2022. A large part of that has been because of their defense. They finished first in the league in yards and points per game, second in interception rate, and third in first downs per game. This is a great spot for the “undisputed heart and soul of Indiana's defense” (247 Sports). Being able to learn under all the experienced defensive players in Houston will aid Fisher in becoming the best defensive player he can be. 

Plus, akin to Ponds going to New York to learn under former cornerback Aaron Glenn, Fisher will find himself being coached by former All-Pro linebacker DeMeco Ryans.