The 2025 NFL regular season still has three weeks to go before the playoffs begin and the 2026 NFL draft is still months away, but the draft order is something a number of struggling teams and their fans will be paying attention to down the final stretch.
With that in mind, Sports Illustrated's Daniel Flick released his latest mock draft on Wednesday, and in it he has an interesting landing spot for Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
The 22-year-old junior quarterback, who won the Heisman Trophy award last weekend, has had a stellar season for Indiana this year. The 13-0 Hoosiers are the No. 1 team in the country after beating Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game and will play the winner of Oklahoma-Alabama in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.
The Giants currently own the No. 1 pick in the draft, but they don't need a quarterback since they selected Jaxson Dart in the first round last year. Flick has New York using the top pick on Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese, while stating that if the Giants remain in the top spot they will likely have some options to trade down.
Here's Flick's take on that pick for the Giants:
The Giants will surely receive plenty of phone calls about moving down, and with 2025 first-round pick Jaxson Dart inspiring enough confidence for another season under center, New York has plenty of reasons to slide back. But if the Giants stand pat, Reese—the No. 1 player on Sports Illustrated’s big board—makes sense. The 6' 4", 243-pounder wrecks games as both an on-ball edge defender and off-ball inside linebacker due to his explosiveness, violence and instincts. He’d give the Giants one of the best front sevens in the NFL.
The Raiders currently own the No. 2 pick, and that's where Flick has Mendoza going. Here's his breakdown of the selection:
Las Vegas traded for Geno Smith with the hopes that he’d be its new franchise quarterback, but Smith and the Raiders’ offense have struggled, and Pete Carroll’s team needs an infusion of youth under center. Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, has a tremendous football I.Q., pinpoint accuracy with the ability to layer throws, and a solid blend of arm talent and mobility to earn the nod as the draft’s top quarterback.
The Raiders have been dreadful this season. They hired Pete Carroll as head coach last January and then signed Smith in free agency, hoping the two could find some of the success they had together in Seattle. That has not been the case, however, as they are 2-12 and have lost eight straight games.
Flick then has Miami Hurricanes star edge defender Rueben Bain Jr. going to the Titans at No. 3, Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa going to the Browns at No. 4, and Oregon QB Dante Moore going to the Jets at No. 5.
Again, there could be some big changes to the top of the board depending how teams fare over the next three weeks, this is where we stand right now.
NFL Draft Order After Week 15
| Team | Record | Draft Position | Week 15 Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 2-12 | 1 | Loss to Commanders |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 2-12 | 2 | Loss to Eagles |
| Tennessee Titans | 2-12 | 3 | Loss to 49ers |
| Cleveland Browns | 3-11 | 4 | Loss to Bears |
| New York Jets | 3-11 | 5 | Loss to Jaguars |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3-11 | 6 | Loss to Texans |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-10 | 7 | Win vs. Panthers |
| Washington Commanders | 4-10 | 8 | Win vs. Giants |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-10 | 9 | Loss to Ravens |
| Atlanta Falcons (pick owned by Rams) | 5-9 | 10 | Win vs. Buccaneers |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-8 | 11 | Loss to Steelers |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6-8 | 12 | Loss to Chargers |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-8 | 13 | Win vs. Cowboys |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-7-1 | 14 | Loss to Vikings |
| Baltimore Ravens | 7-7 | 15 | Win vs. Bengals |
| Carolina Panthers | 7-7 | 16 | Loss to Saints |
| Detroit Lions | 8-6 | 17 | Loss to Rams |
| Indianapolis Colts (pick owned by Jets) | 8-6 | 18 | Loss to Seahawks |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-7 | 19 | Loss to Falcons |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-6 | 20 | Win vs. Dolphins |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9-5 | 21 | Win vs. Raiders |
| Houston Texans | 9-5 | 22 | Win vs. Cardinals |
| Green Bay Packers (pick owned by Cowboys) | 9-4-1 | 23 | Loss to Broncos |
| Buffalo Bills | 10-4 | 24 | Win vs. Patriots |
| Chicago Bears | 10-4 | 25 | Win vs. Browns |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 10-4 | 26 | Win vs. Chiefs |
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-4 | 27 | Win vs. Titans |
| Jacksonville Jaguars (pick owned by Browns) | 10-4 | 28 | Win vs. Jets |
| New England Patriots | 11-3 | 29 | Loss to Bills |
| Seattle Seahawks | 11-3 | 30 | Win vs. Colts |
| Los Angeles Rams | 11-3 | 31 | Win vs. Lions |
| Denver Broncos | 12-2 | 32 | Win vs. Packers |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Latest SI NFL Mock Draft Has Fernando Mendoza Going to AFC Team at No. 2.