The 2026 NFL Draft is just around the corner, as it begins on Thursday, April 23rd. This year’s festivities will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After finishing last season with a 3-14 record, the Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the first overall pick in the draft. DraftKings Sportsbook has a market available for the first pick, and I will be giving my best bet for it below.
Best Bet for the No. 1 Overall Pick
As has been the case for the majority of the offseason, Fernando Mendoza is the overwhelming favorite to be the first player taken in the 2026 NFL Draft, and for good reason. Mendoza led the Indiana Hoosiers to a National Championship, an undefeated record of 16-0 and collected the Heisman Trophy along the way.
Mendoza transferred from the University of California prior to the start of the 2025 season. He spent his first two seasons in Berkeley at the University of California before joining the up-and-coming Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers.
In his first year at Cal, Mendoza played in nine games as a freshman. He completed 63% of his passes, throwing for 1,708 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 picks. In his sophomore season, Mendoza featured in 11 games. As you would expect, the numbers improved as he completed 68.7% of his throws for 3,004 yards and threw 16 touchdowns to only six interceptions. After the transfer to Bloomington, Mendoza entered another stratosphere as a quarterback in his junior year. In his historic season, he played in all 16 games, completing 72% of his passes and throwing for 3,535 yards. The TD/INT ratio was elite at 41 touchdown passes to six interceptions.
Mendoza improved every season in college until his breakout campaign a season ago, where he was nearly flawless. He doesn’t get all the credit, as the Hoosiers were well coached with an elite roster, but Mendoza himself barely put a foot wrong on his way to positioning himself as the top prospect in this year’s draft. Las Vegas fans, get ready for Mendoza Mania.
At -20000 odds, Mendoza presents no betting value, but this is one of those drafts where it’s essentially a slam dunk. The mystery of the 2026 NFL Draft really starts at the second overall pick.
