Fernando Mendoza is not impressing Dan Orlovsky.
The ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback is apparently doing his draft prep, and he’s not at all sold on the presumed No. 1 overall pick.
“I’m through eight games [of Mendoza game tape] now, and through eight games, you see good, but there’s a lot of underwhelming,” Orlovsky said on “First Take” on Thursday.
“There’s not a ton of big-time throws. There’s a lot of clean pockets. There’s a ton of RPOs and back-shoulder fades … There’s moments where you see … he’s spooked with his feet and becomes a runner unnecessarily.”
Despite everyone in the football world assuming Mendoza will go at the top of the draft to the Raiders, Orlovsky has his eyes on a different quarterback.
“I think through eight games, Ty Simpson’s tape at Alabama is significantly more impressive than Fernando Mendoza’s,” Orlovsky added.
Mendoza came out of nowhere this season to lead Indiana to a national championship and a perfect 16-0 record.
Overall, Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards with an FBS-leading 41 touchdown passes and just six interceptions.
He won the Heisman Trophy in overwhelming fashion for his efforts with the Hoosiers this season.
Simpson’s Crimson Tide weren’t quite as impressive, going 11-4 overall and losing in the second round of the College Football Playoff to Mendoza’s Indiana team.
By the numbers, though, Simpson was excellent, throwing for 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions in 15 contests.
Simpson is generally viewed as the second-best quarterback available in this year’s class and is projected to land in the late first or early second round.
