Fernando Mendoza had a clear answer in mind when asked about the most bizarre exchange he had during his NFL pre-draft interviews.
The Las Vegas Raiders are projected to make Mendoza the first name called at the 2026 NFL Draft. But that didn’t stop other teams from getting to know the Indiana alum.
During an interview with CBS reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala, Mendoza shared that one team made a pretty off-color joke to give said team a chance to draft him.
“It was, ‘Hey, maybe you should get arrested,'” Mendoza said when asked about the most bizarre question he got. “I was a little confused, but then I was like, to slide … so you could slide in the draft.”
The most bizarre question that Fernando Mendoza has been asked during his draft interviews
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 27, 2026
"It was: 'Hey, maybe you should get arrested.' I was a little confused, but then it was like to slide."
🎤: @AKinkhabwala pic.twitter.com/33RaeHkaPT
Mendoza did not reveal which team had made the joke, but stated that it was not one of the franchises that had formally interviewed him.
It may have been an exec from one of the later-drafting teams trying to build some rapport with Mendoza, but instead ended up sounding like that oddball uncle everyone has who had too much to drink at a family function.
Given Mendoza’s family-friendly persona, he seems like the last guy expected to have any run-ins with the law.
