It was quite the night at the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 23.
Former IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza was taken first overall by the Las Vegas Raiders. His teammate, wide receiver Omar Cooper, Jr, was taken 30th overall by the New York Jets.
The duo became the first IU football players to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in the same year.
Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards and led the nation with 41 touchdown passes.
Cooper Jr. totaled 937 receiving yards with 13 touchdowns in 2025.
A pair of Notre Dame running backs were among the first players taken in the draft.
In the first round, Jeremiah Love was selected 3rd overall by the Arizona Cardinals.
Love was the leading rusher for the Irish last season and was a Heisman finalist.
His fellow Irish running back, Jadarian Price, was selected with the last pick of the first round by the Seattle Seahawks.
1 comment
People can’t tell you who their Congressional representative is or how they vote, but they can name sportsball players and cite their stats all day long.
I think we are focused on the wrong things.