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Thursday was a good day to be an Indiana Hoosier, as a program that hadn't produced a first-round pick since 1994 saw both Fernando Mendoza and Omar Cooper Jr. have their NFL dreams come true.
Mendoza's night ended early, as he was the No. 1 overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders as expected, while Cooper had to wait patiently until the New York Jets traded up to No. 30 to pair the wide receiver with Garrett Wilson.
— NFL (@NFL) April 24, 2026Mendoza and Cooper flashed their connection in November's thrilling win over Penn State and again in the College Football Playoff, when they led Indiana to a national championship. On Thursday, they joined an exclusive group of QB-WR duos to be selected in the first round after winning a title together.
Here's a look at which duos welcomed Mendoza and Cooper into their club.
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QB-WR duos to win win national championship and get drafted in first round
Mendoza and Cooper are the fourth QB-WR duo to win a national championship together and be selected in the first round of the same draft:
Deshaun Watson, Mike Williams (2017)
Deshaun Watson was the face of Clemson's national championship team that took down Alabama, but not every NFL team was sold on him as an elite quarterback prospect. He was actually selected five picks after teammate Mike Williams, who went No. 7 overall to the Chargers. Watson landed with the Texans at No. 12, two picks after Patrick Mahomes and 10 after Mitchell Trubisky.
Williams led Clemson with 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2016, and he would post two 1,000-yard seasons with the Chargers before injuries derailed his NFL career. Watson, meanwhile, is trying to get his own career back on track after Achilles tears, sexual assault allegations and a drawn-out trade request turned what looked like a potential Hall of Fame quarterback into a pariah.
Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson (2020)
LSU's 2019 team went down in history as one of the greatest of all-time, and it didn't take long for the Tigers' stars to start making an impact at the next level. Joe Burrow was the easy choice at No. 1 overall for the Bengals in 2020, while Justin Jefferson had to wait a bit longer before the Vikings landed him at No. 22, infamously one pick after the Eagles selected Jalen Reagor.
Jefferson posted 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2019, but he was actually LSU's second-leading receiver behind Ja'Marr Chase. The only reason Chase didn't join this club with Burrow is he wasn't draft-eligible until 2021, when he got the opportunity to reunite with his quarterback in Cincinnati.
MORE: Why Fernando Mendoza has been compared to new teammate Kirk Cousins
Mac Jones, Jaylen Waddle/DeVonta Smith (2021)
Alabama coasted to a national championship in the pandemic-ravaged 2020 season, and it was no fluke. The Crimson Tide had another loaded roster led by coach Nick Saban, to the point that two of their Heisman Trophy-winning receiver wasn't even Alabama's highest-drafted receiver.
The Dolphins made Jaylen Waddle the No. 6 pick despite an ankle injury cutting short his final season with the Tide, and the Eagles moved up to No. 10 to take Smith after his Heisman season. The Patriots made Jones the fifth quarterback off the board at No. 15, making this a first-round trio for Alabama.
Fernando Mendoza, Omar Cooper Jr. (2026)
Mendoza's status as the No. 1 overall pick was never in doubt, as the Raiders never wavered on their plans to make him the top choice after a Heisman-winning season at Indiana. Whether Cooper would hear his name called in the first round was less certain, but the Jets made it an even better night for the Hoosiers when they traded up into the first round to take him.
Cooper, a holdover from the pre-Curt Cignetti era at Indiana, had 937 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025, making an unbelievable game-winning touchdown catch against Penn State before his 71-yard showing in the national championship game helped the Hoosiers win a title.
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