Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State WR Carnell Tate, Alabama QB Ty Simpson, and more join the show from Indy (2/27 Hour 2)

Friday edition of PFT Live at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. It is quarterback day and the first victim at the desk before he does his press conference. Man, we're warming him up. So we're going to get him ready. We're going to pepper him with the toughest, most probing questions. Garrett Nussmeyer of LSU is with us. Actually, we're just going to have some fun. We're just messing around. Let's do it. Appreciate you guys for having me. You know, we know it's a long week for you guys, and so we try to give you 10 minutes It's just kind of let's screw around, have some fun, and get to know each other. Let's do it. Let's do it. Absolutely. Nussbus? That is the nickname, I guess. That's the nickname? Tell me where it came from. Actually, people used to call my dad that when he was OC at University of Washington. And so I don't know if that's how it resurfaced or if it just kind of came up again. But, no, I mean, hey, it's cool. I like it. So I guess we're rocking with it. So the offense was Nussbus and you were Nussbus. Nussbus was running the Nussbus. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I like it. Don't be calling me sir. I'm 45. My name's Dan Chris. I like it. I like it. Go ahead. Call me, sir. You're old. You know, you're really old. You know what? It's funny. This week he's starting to realize he's getting old, and it's great to watch it because I can just sit here and say, hey, I've come to terms with it a long time ago. He's starting to go through that thing. There you go. Dad was a backup quarterback in the NFL. What's the biggest thing you learned from him that's helped your career as a quarterback? Yeah, I mean, he's helped me through so much. You know, just one, just having him to be able to lean on throughout my entire career. And, you know, he's been through all of this and seen so many different things over the years as a coach as well. And so, you know, growing up, I always just wanted to be like him. I always wanted to play in the NFL just like him. And so it's just so cool now to be able to go through it myself and, you know, want to have him to be able to kind of help me go through this and kind of give me a blueprint of how things go. And so it's been a huge help, and so I'm so grateful for that relationship. You've got an interesting story, right? I mean, last year, if you came out, people thought maybe you'd be a first-round pick. Yep. Right. And then you have this year. I know you fought through some injuries. I knew some people down there at your school who told me you were dealing with an oblique injury and all that. And it wasn't really publicized. So I give you credit for sucking it up and playing there. But your stock fell. So how do you kind of compartmentalize that in your brain here? Yeah. Well, for one, you know, my faith is a big part of who I am. You know, that's my foundation. And that's what, you know, keeps me true to myself. And so, you know, leaning on that throughout the rough times of the year. But, you know, I didn't pay too much attention to the stock. I had an opportunity to go back to LSU and win a national championship, and that was always my dream. For me, obviously, I had to entertain and do my due diligence last offseason to kind of check out the situation. But having that opportunity to go back and play for LSU one more time and hopefully what we thought to try and win a national championship, that was kind of a hard deal for me to pass up. Ultimately, I just felt like it was right for me to go back. Good for you. Man, you're going to have a hard time if you're an NFL quarterback playing in a game against the Saints. Your dad was playing for the Saints. Mom was a Saints cheerleader. But for the existence of the Saints, you aren't here. That's a hell of a story. Yeah, yeah. And I grew up a Saints fan, too, just because of him playing for them. And then obviously watching Drew Brees growing up, that was my guy. And so, yeah, it's going to be cool. So I'm definitely going to do everything I can to try and kick his butt, though. So that's for sure. Who do you model your game after? Yeah, definitely Drew Brees when I was younger. I was never the biggest kid growing up, and so having to learn how to anticipate and throw guys open when I was younger, watching his tape was an inspiration to me. Now as I've gotten older, I like watching a lot of Matt Stafford and just seeing the way he goes about his business and the arm angles he's able to complete passes from and his pocket presence and things like that. Well, you've got an arm. I think people are going to have to watch two years ago to really understand your arm. Because for all those out there, I had an oblique injury. When you hurt your oblique and you've got to twist to throw the ball, you can't twist and really let it go. And I think it affected you this year. I'm going to say it for you right now. So I know that was tough. I want to go down another road, though, because my man's got some dance moves here. Oh, really? What? And I know you do, too, so we might have a dance-off right here. Look at my man here. Look it. He's got all these moves going on. He's gone viral in the locker room after the game. I don't know what the hell you call that move right there. That's the Malik and BT dance that they had going on in Kyron Lacey. Okay, so you're at the spring game. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're getting out there? Yeah, just trying to, you know what I mean, just get after it a little bit. Okay, so you're such a great dancer right there. I have more videos for you. Oh, goodness. No, don't worry. This one's not going to be you. This one's going to be somebody else. This isn't about. Tell me about Florio here in the front. See our lead singer there? Tell me his moves. It looks natural. Look at him. Oh, look at him. Man. Boom. Give me a grade. Yeah. It's like a solid B+. B+. Maybe A-. B+. I like the B+. I stringously object. Maybe some more rhythm. He's like, that's 1962 dance moves. He's like, sorry, you're not getting an A with that. I'm almost 62. So you've got to factor that in. Degree of difficulty. Look at this. Oh, wow. Did you see that right there? Chris gets an F-. No, that might have been bumped. You might have got an A-. That empty hammer hop there. There we go. All right. No doubt. All right. Good for having fun. I wondered what was going on. I don't see anything in the notes about Garrett's dancing. See, that was a setup, Garrett. Yes, we did. That's right. No question. Okay, so what are we doing at the combine here? Just throwing out here. Just a throw? Yes, sir. You're going to show everybody your arm and let it go here? Yes, sir. Absolutely. On top of that, do talk about your oblique and how it affected your ability to kind of let it go this year. Yeah, it was rough. It was obviously a very hindering deal for a quarterback. You know, it was a tough deal without getting too specific with kind of everything that went on. It was, you know, it didn't matter the distance of the throw. It was a lot of pain for me throwing the football. And so, you know, obviously, you know, didn't figure out what it truly was until about, you know, two months ago now. And so, you know, only had about nine days to prepare for the Senior Bowl and get right for that. And so, just been, you know, retraining, trying to learn how to throw again from the ground up and get that back right. And so, you know, obviously not being able to run, haven't had time to train starts or anything like that. Just rehabbing. And, you know, I'm feeling a lot better now. I made a lot of progress, close to 100, back to being myself. How did you do it? Just throwing routes on air, yeah. This happened day two of fall camp early in the season. And so it was kind of a yearly deal. Threw a ton of throws in the first day. Your body was a little tight and sore and all that. All right, let's see how he grips the ball. All right, all right. I know that's very important. How are you liking the NFL ball? One over three, two over four. Oh, so he's got two hands on it, two fingers on there. I'm pinky on three. Yeah, one and three, one and three. Next finger, ring finger on the top. All right. Well, you're rare, actually. You know that? Yeah, totally. Everybody is – there's only two quarterbacks in the league right now that have the ring finger and the pinky on the laces. Really? It's Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes. They're the only two people. There you go. Everybody does the under thing. That's good company, I guess. That's great company. It is pretty good. They can throw it. Yes, sir. I know you can throw it, too. Hey, he's got more stuff to do than to talk to us idiots. Before we let you go, take a look into this camera right here. Say hello to anybody in the world that you would like to say hello to. Yeah. First, shout out God. Just grateful for this opportunity. Excited to be here. Trusting in his time and his plan takes you anywhere you want to go. So just having that faith as a foundation is a big part. And I want to say what's up to my family. Shout out to my fiance. It's her birthday today. Ella, Ella, happy birthday, Ella. Oh, you're missing her birthday. She's upset. She's like, of course they have the combine on my birthday. You'll be all right. Well, be like, hey, babe, like, I'm going to go here, and what I might be able to buy you here in a few weeks and all that, it'll make up for me not being there. No doubt. Absolutely. Yes, sir. All right, Garrett, we'll let you get to it. We'll be back with more from Indianapolis. I remember now. Garrett and us. Yes, sir. We'll be right back. Appreciate you guys having me. God bless. Yes, sir. Appreciate it. PFC Live at the Scouting Combine, Indianapolis, Friday, February 27. Joining us now, a guy whose name is going to get called pretty early a couple of months from now. He's the Belitnikoff Award winner for 2025 as the nation's top receiver and a first-team All-American. Makai Lemon from USC. Makai, welcome. Appreciate you for having me. What's up, man? How you doing? I'm blessed and grateful to be here. Yeah, we're glad to have you. I mean, awesome watching you, really, the last two years. I mean, incredible. Definitely that. What are you going to do for the workout? I'm going to do the gauntlet and the routes. I think everything else will be at Pro Day. You're going to do it at the Pro Day? Yes, sir. Okay, all right, cool. When did you realize in your life that you had special skills that would put you at the point where you now are? I'd probably say going into high school and then actually realizing it in college. You know, my parents always told me that, you know, I had very, you know, good talent, you know, God-given abilities. So to really see that and to progress, you know, at the college level with, you know, with top athletes and to do what I did, And that's when I really realized it. During the year, we did one of your games on NBC, right, because you're Big Ten and we do Big Ten. And I was like, man, I mean, watching him, he's like Amon Ross St. Brown Jr. over here. Yeah, I mean, you honestly look like you could be related to him a little bit. I mean, damn, like a brother's from another mother. But do you talk to him at all? I talk to him a few times for sure. Yeah. And what's he said to you? Do you ask him for advice or anything like that? Yeah, he's just, you know, telling me encouragement words, you know. And I can't wait to, you know, really, you know, sit down with him and pick his brain about, you know, the next level and the things to do. But, you know, he's always encouraged me to keep what I'm doing and just to be myself. Yeah, cool. What do we do away from football? When you get a chance to get a break, what do you like to do? I'm a real chill guy. I'm laid back. I don't really do too much, but I do like going to the beach, you know, and just to relax, you know, see the water. Yeah. Yeah, just hang for the day. I'm with you there. All right, so you do everything. You're a little ball of muscle. You do everything well for the most part from what I've seen. But, like, what's one area in your game that you look at that you go, I can improve that a little bit? I feel like the biggest thing that stands out to me is just pushing the game with a more professional mindset. You know, really just trying to know my opponent and know the defense more. So, you know, when I step onto the field, I can already have that advantage. Yeah, you're going to see that. That's one of the cool things, I think, when you get to the NFL. You're going to realize that you're going to have a few receivers on your team that are going to be like, hey, look at this, do this. When you run the route, think about it like that. That's what you're going to learn from Amon Ra. That and work out. Right? Right? And stuff he does off the field. Who's the one guy, Makai, during your time in college that you had the hardest time getting open against? And on my own team or like my opponent? Oh, anywhere. Anywhere. I'd probably say Kamari Ramsey, you know, safety for my team. You know, the type of ability that he has, he's very smart. He's real patient, and I feel like, you know, I had to be on my A game, you know, every time. You know, sometimes, you know, guys, you can maybe think, you know, I can just use my speed. But, you know, I had to use a little bit more, you know, going against him. Kamari's, what number did Kamari wear? I know. I'm trying to, is he not the long safety guy that's on your damn team? Is he? I'm just trying to remember who he is, too. Seven? No. I understand seven? Yeah, seven. Number seven. Yeah, number seven. Okay, so that was your guy. So you had to deal with him in practice every day. Yeah, 100%. Maybe a better player than I am today. Okay, okay. And one of the benefits of dealing with a guy like that all the time in practice makes the games a little bit easier No 100 percent Who your team growing up You know the Raiders The Raiders Yeah, coming from my pops, you know, he was always a Raider fan back when, you know, they was in Oakland. So, you know, I just grew up liking them. What about receiver growing up or who's your kind of idol that you watched growing up playing football? Growing up, a young, very young kid. I'll say Marquise Lee, and then when I was getting a little older, I'll say Stephon Diggs. Okay, Marquise Lee out of USC. Yes, sir. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, okay, cool. Those are good ones. Where will you be during the draft? Are you going to be in Pittsburgh or are you going to be somewhere else? Yeah, I haven't really made a choice yet, but, you know, if I do get to invite to Pittsburgh, you know, that would be a huge blessing that I wouldn't skip out on. Yeah, don't skip out on that. You know, I mean, every guy, I got drafted in the third round, and I'm like, man, I wish I got to be a first-rounder and walk and put the hat on and see the commissioner and do all that. This just in, you're going to get invited. I'm just going to let you know. You're going to get invited, so just get ready for the freaking trip. All right? All right. All right, man. All right. Well, hey, before we let you go, we've been doing this with everyone. Looking at the camera right there, say hello to anyone in the world who'd like to say hello to. I'd say my mom and dad and my family. I'm here to represent the last thing well. and I'm just here to give God all the glory. All right, Makai Lemon, on his way to the NFL draft. Enjoy the rest of time here in Indianapolis. We'll be back with more from PFT Live. Appreciate it. Hope you get that number six. Yeah, hopefully. There's a look inside the Indiana Convention Center for the Scouting Combine. We are at Friday. Workouts have started on the field. We've talked to a quarterback. We've talked to a receiver. Garrett Nussmeier, that's one of the risks you take when you come back for another year. Exactly right. Because he probably would have been drafted higher last year. No doubt. But he got the NIL money last year. That's what makes it a little easier. One more year at LSU. Yes. You can never do that again. That's right. And now he gets a chance. And, you know, all right, third-round pick. If he's a third-round pick, he's still going to get a chance. Malik Willis was a third-round pick, and he's going to get paid soon. Yeah. No, I agree. But you're right. That's the risk. I was talking to somebody about Malik Willis yesterday. I'm trying to figure out what he's going to have paid. Three years, $20 million a year. Yeah, I could see something like that. I could see two years, $20 million a year, right? Something like that. I don't think anybody's going to just go, hey, here's $30 million, here's $35 million. He's got to prove it a little bit. And if he really wants to be entrenched as a starter and get a team to like him, yeah, I don't think he can ask for that big money like that. It's just going to scare teams off. So to find that sweet spot is going to be important here. The fact that Justin Fields got $20 million a year on a two-year deal from the Jets, you could argue Malik Willis deserves more than that. But the problem is he's got limited playing time. That's the problem. And his time initially with the Titans, because this is what the person said to me, it's like, hey, man, the guy's been spectacular with the Packers. It's like, well, he was anything but spectacular when he was playing for the Titans. So that's out there, too. He was raw. This guy's ship has come in to the point where he will be a starter. He's going to get money that he never dreamed he was going to make in the NFL based upon how it started. Yes. and shorter-term deal. Like, if you could get two years 20, that sets you up. That's what he would want, for sure. And I think the goal is have the lowest possible cap number year one so there's a huge cap number year two that gives them an incentive to do a new deal. And if you're in that range, it gives Miami a shot. I was having the conversation also with this same person, and we've agreed the litmus test is, are the Dolphins going to be in it? Yes. If they're not in it, that's a red flag. If the Cardinals aren't in it, that's a red flag. Because Matt LaFleur's brother Mike is the head coach there. Those are the two teams to watch. All right. Jordan Tyson. I was going to say, why did we move to a table of two? Because we didn't know who was coming when. And now we're ready. And we can slide. We know somebody comes up. You can slide your big ass over a couple feet. I know I can. I'm doing it. There he is. I'm sliding that big ass. Arizona State receiver Jordan Tyson projected to be a top ten pick in the draft. How do you feel? How are you doing? Good. Nice to meet you. Jordan, when you hear projected top ten pick in the draft, how do you feel? Shoot, to be honest, part of me still don't believe it. Make sure you get in there. You pull your shoe. You're good. All good, man. Part of me wouldn't believe it, to be honest with you. I feel like when I was young, I liked to play video games. And luckily, and thank God, God blessed me with an amazing family that wouldn't let me fail and instilled discipline and work ethic in me at a young age. And shoot, look at me now. Yeah, yeah. How did you end up at Arizona State? Yeah, I went to Colorado. It was my only Power 5 offer out of college. Went to the group of five schools. Really didn't like the facility, so knew I had to go over there. And luckily I played there. And when I entered the portal, I had some opportunities I could go on. And then I met Kenny Dillingham. When I met Kenny Dillingham, it was over. I knew where I was going. He's a coach, man. I'm a big fan of him. I can understand that. And you guys play tough. You guys play hard for him. at what point at Arizona State did you go, huh, like I got a chance here to be something in the NFL draft here. Like I got a chance, like I'm starting to get good vibes here. When did that happen? Yeah, I feel like there was this one scrimmage. It was our first scrimmage, and I had played really good. I had like three touchdowns and a whole bunch of yards. So that was an eye-opening moment for sure. But just I know myself, and ever since I was in high school, every year I would just continue to get better and better and better and better. better and I feel like I continue to do that now so I feel like this year was definitely eye opening for sure. I want to go back to something you said earlier Jordan because I got the impression at some point somebody in your family came to you and said put down that controller because you have the ability to be special but you got to put in the work and playing Madden or Fortnite or whatever, Fortnite? Yeah, playing Fortnite isn't going to make you as good as you can be. Get your ass out there and get to work. It sounds like that happened. That literally happened. Yeah, I would be on the game. My brother used to come in there. He used to ask me if I wanted to go work out. Most of the time I was saying no. And then one day he snitched on me, the dad and mine. They basically forced me to go to the gym with him. And went one time, and I loved it and never had that problem again. Wow, that's great. That's a hell of a story. Yeah, my brother would not let me fail. He's the reason why I'm here today. Well, yeah, let's talk about your brother. I mean, your brother Jalen, he was the 20th pick of the draft two years ago, Cleveland Cavaliers. Did he play football? He did until he did the Oklahoma drill. He did the Oklahoma drill. He literally did the Oklahoma drill. Went against a star running back, got ran over, and never went out there again. He said, see you later. Yeah, but a lot of people don't know he was cut from his freshman year. We had A, B, and C team, and he got cut. And now he's an NBA first-round pick. So that's just a testament to the work we was talking about. Never quitting on himself, knowing what he had in him, and just continue to work out three times a day since he was 15. So that's the reason why he's there today. Did you play b-ball? You played b-ball in high school? I did a little bit. I was 5'4 my sophomore year. What? I didn't think I had an opportunity. Right. When did you grow? Bugsy bungs out there. Yeah, my junior year I grew to about 6'1", and then to my senior year about 6'1", and now I'm sitting at about 6'2". Okay. Wow. Okay. So you're not afraid of the Oklahoma drill if you learn from Hines Ward the no block, no rock philosophy because Hines Ward, they changed rules because of Hines Ward. They did. He needs to knock people out. Yeah, Ed Reed. Yeah, exactly. He got it bad. He really did. I just – Allen, Texas, same high school as Kyler Murray. The Longhorns never got involved in recruiting you or any of that? Never. Never. Never. Damn, Longhorns. Horns down. Horns down that one. For sure. For sure. They just got our running back, though, Relique Brown. That's pretty nice. Okay. All right. All right. Pro day, what are you going to do? Everything. You're going to do it all? Should be. Should be. Man. Pro day or combine. You said pro day, Chris. I mean, I meant combine. No. Bench press. Okay, good. I didn't mean to say that. Yeah, you're going to do bench press? Yes, sir. Oh, okay. Let me see. Okay. Okay. There's something there. All right. What are we going to shoot for in the bench press? Because you don't hear receivers go, I'm just coming into the bench press often, so what are we shooting for here? Yeah, I've been kind of looking at the rules and stuff like that. I know you've got to keep your back real flat and stuff like that. Oh, they're strict with it. Yeah. So you might lose a rep or two compared to your home gym. Yeah, in training I hit about 27. What? Wow. 27? We're going to shoot for that. That's the record. I just grabbed your right pectoral. It didn't feel like a 27 peck. I know that. Damn, I'm back. You the man. I had the knee injury, and that's when I got super, super strong in the arms. Oh, you couldn't do the legs. Couldn't do the legs. So I got real strong in the arms. I feel like I needed it, too. He's got to put the defensive backs on notice. 27, though. Keep your head on a swivel. If he does 27 as a receiver, like nobody is coming close to that, I don't think. No way. Nah, Deion Burks, he might hit 30. He might. Yeah, super duper strong. I was training with him at Exos. He's going to run fast, and he's going to be strong on the bench. All right. All right. So when your brother got you to stop playing Fortnite, like, did you give it up for good, or do you still dabble from time to time? I ain't played a game in about two years, to be honest with you. Wow. Two, three years. He's matured now. He's moving on in life. Right. Well, I still play Madden, and I'm old. You play any other games, or you play none at all? I play chess. Wow. Chess.com. Look at you. Yeah, that's my thing. This well-rounded individual. Me and Kenny, we play that every night. We play a little chess game. Growing up, who's your favorite quarterback? I mean, your favorite receiver, your favorite team? Devontae Adams, Justin Jefferson, and then Doug Baldwin. Doug Baldwin was my guy. I was a Seattle fan. I grew up watching L.O.B. But Doug Baldwin was my guy. The way he would skip all the ball and he had this quick little move and move the defender off his spot, make him bite the cheese a little bit. But Doug Baldwin was my guy. It's funny, this age group, we've had a few Seahawks lovers, right? It's funny, you guys are the prime team, so I understand that. Yeah, I do. All right, your game, your game itself. What do you got to improve? What's one thing you look at and go, man, I can get a little better at that? Yards after catch, I feel like, for sure. It's kind of hard to work on unless you're in the game and getting opportunities to run after catch. So I'm going to say continue to just work on that. I've kind of found creative ways to work on that for sure. But it's kind of hard unless you got people trying to kill you. Yeah, yeah, no doubt. All right, Jordan, I have a feeling that you're going to crush this. We've been asking every guy here to take a look into the camera and say hello to anyone out there you'd like to say hello to. Shout out, big bro. Wouldn't be sitting in this chair without you for sure. Shout out my mom, dad. Thank you for all the discipline when I was a young kid. Shout out my half-brother, Baron Tyson, really my real brother. Always been there for me, giving me pointers when you need to. Shout out Derek Eusebio. I miss you, boy. I'll be back home soon. Oh, man, that was good. That was the most in-depth shout-out. You were actually the best one at it. You going to the draft? Most likely. I think so. It's in Pittsburgh. Hines was at Pittsburgh. So probably going to end up going. I'm going to bring Hines with me, too. Cool. You'd better go. Are you going to go to some Cavalier playoff games? For sure. Or the finals. If I get a chance, for sure. For sure, for sure. That would be amazing. I've never experienced NBA playoff atmosphere. James Harden's there. I mean, uh-oh. It's looking good. That's ASU guys. Hey, Jordan, congratulations. I appreciate you. And it's a pleasure to talk to you. He's going to be a star. And you're going to be a guy who people are going to want to talk to. So get used to talking because you're going to be talking a lot when you get to the NFL. Yeah, you've got a good way about you, man. Jordan Tyson. We'll be back with more from the combine. And you've got that Texas snap that I like. Back at the combine in Indianapolis Joining us now one of the guys who is a baller I thought you were getting ready to hit me No I wasn I never know what he going to backhand me This guy is on his way. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. Many believe he'll be the second quarterback taken in the draft. He will be. He could be a top 20 pick. Isn't it a strange feeling where you just don't know at this point how it's all going to fall together, what team you're going to be with, what draft pick it's going to be, just kind of sit back and go along with the ride. It sucks. I was telling teams yesterday, they were asking me about the process. I was like, look, it's super, super cool. It's a blessing. But it also really sucks because I don't know where I'm going to live. I don't know what team I'm going to be on. This is the first time I haven't been on a team since I've been four years old. So it's really just different. I was talking to teammates last night. It was about eight of us in our room. We were just talking about Bama and talking about all the guys going through fourth quarter offseason training. and we were like, dang, low-key kind of – Yeah, like you're almost like you're like, I miss that. Where am I in the world right now? Other people, right, are like, I don't miss it. But I'm like, dude, like getting in the locker room and stuff, like that's what I miss. Yeah, well, it's coming shortly. But, yeah, for a quarterback especially, and I think you're one of these type A, probably obsessive compulsive, want to know what I'm doing, want to know my schedule, want to do all that right. It is. It's a time of angst a little bit for sure. It's a great point though. You're on a team and there's always something to do. off season, in season, and you're just kind of like in this no man's land now where you're just waiting and waiting. Exactly. And you've got 32 possibilities, and you've just got to keep waiting. I know. You said it's not going to take long. Two months is a long time. Yeah, no, it is a long time. You're right. You're right. But he'll be busy at least in the meantime to figure that out. All right, speak about your year, right? You had a year where you were incredible. And I would be on TV, on NBC the first six, seven weeks of the year. I had to go, the Heisman winner is Ty Simpson. You were balling out. But your body, you know, got beat to crap as the year went on. Yeah. So, yeah, kind of talk about all that and, you know, where you ended up at the end of the year and everything. Yeah, so it was a great year, right? Like, I was super proud of my team, super proud of the guys, you know, how we finished the year, you know, wasn't what we wanted, right? But, you know, I think we, you know, we left a legacy there at Alabama. One, coached the board's first, you know, first playoff game. Down 17-0, made it to the SEC championship. It's not the Bama standard, right? But, you know, definitely left our mark. You know, I think that, you know, like you said, you know, middle of the year, right? Like, you know, we had a lot of things going. And, you know, unfortunately, you know, injuries happen. You know, playing in a big-time league like the SEC and playing, you know, every week, just, you know, different, you know, top, you know, player in the world is, you know, there. It's like, it's very, very difficult. You know what I mean? So, but, you know, the cool thing about it is, right, like you got good players. You got to keep going. You just got to, you know, just get to Saturday and make sure that, you know, you're ready to execute the best that you can. Well, tell some people about your injuries that you had during the end of the year, too, just a little bit. What you were fighting through. I know you don't like to make excuses, but go ahead and tell us. Well, you know, first off, I want to say this, right? If there's any chance that I can be out there and play, you know, for my guys, like, I'm going to do that. Right. So, you know, whether it's walk, like, I'm able to walk, able to talk, like, I'm going to go out there and play. So, you know, I twisted my back up a little bit. So it made it, you know, made it difficult sometimes to throw. And then, you know, unfortunately, with the medicine that I took, it really messed up my stomach. and towards the end of the year, I weighed about 195. And I'm 215 now, but it was difficult because I couldn't eat anything besides chicken noodle soup. I knew you had lost weight. I could watch. Listen, I've been doing this my whole life. I played. My dad played. So I was sitting there going, man, he's beat up, and you could tell you had lost it, and it probably affected you in a lot of ways. Yeah, I mean, it definitely did give me some cushion, but it was something to where it was out of my control, You know, taking some anti-inflammatories messed up my stomach. But, you know, I hadn't taken any since. And now, you know, I'm 215. I feel healthy as an ox, and I'm ready to roll. All right, cool. So you decided to enter the draft, and then there were reports that there were other teams that were willing to get you through the transfer portal. And it looks like you thought about it for a little bit. But at the end of the day, no-brainer, you don't want to play for anybody but Alabama. I loved your quotes about your legacy at Alabama. But how close did it come? There was no question at all where I was going. I was going to the draft. I felt like that I was ready. I know that I'm ready. I know I'm ready to lead a franchise. I know that teams, it was very flattering for them to call and ask what I'm feeling and ask that I had another year, if I wanted to play another year of college football. But like I said, one, I didn't want to play for another team. There wasn't a team that I wanted to play for besides Alabama. I didn't want to ruin my legacy. And I was ready to go to the NFL. Like I said, the infrastructure that Alabama has with the pro-like systems and the pro-like program is better than most colleges in America. So the fact that I had an opportunity to go to the NFL, I felt like I was ready, and it was no question talking to the coaches and talking to my team. You're ready to go. Yeah, you're ready. You are ready. And from everything I know, Miami and Tennessee offered this guy a lot of money, but he still went to the NFL. He doesn't have to comment on that. Growing up, quarterback you liked the most. Who's somebody you – even now, who's the guy you're going to look at? Yeah, so the guy I like now is Matthew Stafford. I feel like Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow are two guys to where they play the game the right way. The Rams do a very similar system to what we did. So the opportunity to be able to watch him and watch him on tape was very, very cool. People say I'm like Bo Nix. Bo's a very good friend of mine. He's like a big brother. But somebody I enjoyed watching growing up is Peyton Manning, one Tennessee guy, a guy who loves football, a guy who does everything the right way, is going to outsmart you, out prepare you. I think that's very cool from a coach's son's perspective and a guy who I've actually gotten to be very close with. So ton of respect to those guys. Oh, cool. You've gotten to know Peyton a little bit. Yeah, I've gotten to know Peyton. Me and Arch are really good friends. And so, you know, me, you know, Cooper, you know, Eli. How did that happen? So, you know, me and Arch threw together with David Morris, quarterback trainer there in Mobile. And we just, you know, hit it off. Like, you know, guys who love football, guys who, you know, love the work. And, you know, it was about sixth or seventh grade. And ever since then, we've just been, you know, really good friends. We talk to each other back and forth. You know, from our ups and downs this season, we would call each other and just tell us, like, Hey, man, hang in there. And after big games, Cooper and those guys would text me and Archie. It was just a good relationship that they had. They respect the game, and I respect the game as well. That's cool, man. Give me your best Nick Saban story. Oh, the best Nick Saban story. I don't know if I can say this on camera. Yes, you can. You can. Yes, you can. I'm going to say this. You can clean it up if you got it. I always would mess with Coach Saban about golf. Look, I'm not very good at golf. At all. If I'm good at golf, that means I'm spending too much time playing. But every time that I would see him at a recruiting event or anything like that, I would always poke fun at him because he likes the competition. Compete, right. And I would always be like, Coach, when are you going to let me beat your tail in golf? When are you going to let me come beat you in golf? And every time he'd always look at me and he'd just start smiling. He was like, I'd beat your tail in golf. So it was cool. It was a little competition. So it was word other than tail. That's what you're saying. Yeah, exactly. I didn't want to say that. Before we let you go, say hello to anyone you want. Camera three, if that is camera three. Martin, Tennessee, 731. How are you guys doing? Appreciate you shaking me here. UT Martin football, thank you so much, and God bless. All right, and I want to see how you grip the ball as you go because I know you've got to go here. Yep, so I want to space my fingers evenly to be able to get the spin that I want. I want to put my finger on the seam to where I can spin it, You know, the last one being a pointer finger and, you know, being able to, you know, whether it's close like that or even like that, that's how I want to be able to. All right. And you got two and you're under four there. Yeah. Which is a popular grip in the NFL right now. All right. There he is. Yeah. There he is. We're going to say thank you to Ty Simpson. We're going to do a hot change as Ty Simpson exits a guy he may be throwing passes to one of these days is going to enter. Ty, congratulations on your success. All the best. Can't wait to see where you're laying in the NFL. And I know you can't wait either. Yes, sir. Thank you so much. Take care. I appreciate that. Thank you, everybody. See you, man. Kick some butt. All right. Thank you. All right. Ty Simpson. Okay. Exits. What's up, man? Carnell Tate. Enners. Hey, how are you, man? I'm doing good. Welcome. Good to see you. Thanks, Aubrey. Wow. Baller receiver right here. Carnell Tate. Here he comes. Yep. I got to do a game early in the year. I didn't get a chance to meet you. Okay. So, and I know Matt Patricia a little bit. Yes, sir. Worked with him in New England. And I was like, I got to go down on the field and look at some of these guys in person. Yep. And you were one of the first guys. I kind of walked from the sideline and saw you and just was like, man. And then, of course, you see the rest of the team. You just go, holy crap, Ohio State. We got some big guys, especially two guys yesterday they put on the show for us. Were you surprised at all by Sonny and Avril? No, we weren't surprised at all. The only thing about Sonny was his 40, really, because, like you said, he went from safety to linebacker, put on 20, 40 pounds. So that was the biggest thing there. But we all knew Sonny was going to do phenomenal well. Caleb called it. Caleb Downs came on here yesterday and he goes, Sonny Stiles is about to show everybody that he's a freak. Yeah, Sonny's a freak and always has been a freak, especially at Ohio State. Yeah. What is it with the Ohio State receivers? I mean, it is just a never-ending factory of great receivers. It's just a mindset that we have and also our coach points us. Yeah, what gets you there, I guess? I guess it's the players that have been there. And then what else? A lot of the time it's our dream school. Why do you go to Ohio State? The main thing is your dream school, or if you want to be a first-round receiver, you go to Ohio State. That's why I went to Ohio State. And Coach Hartline, I would think, plays a big part of that. An NFL receiver. Yeah, Coach Hartline does a phenomenal job. He played at the highest level. So we all want to get there where Coach Hart has been. So he's able to help us get there and pour into us what he learned at that highest level. Yeah, and it's going to change now because Coach Hartline is at USF as the head coach. So they've got to find a new Coach Hartline for the receivers at Ohio State. Yep, I think they did a great job with Cortez Hankins. He's the guy there now. Went on a visit with him when he was at LSU. And then also met him when he came up to Ohio State. I think he's a great guy. He has to put their hands on the great guys in the room. Yeah, all right. Putting you on the spot. Man up here, all right? Okay. Who's the freakiest receiver to you just at Ohio State? Or even maybe you just seen him work out and he was at Ohio State a few years ago where you're just like, man, he's the man. Freakiest guy? JJ. I'm winning still there. He's phenomenal in size, fast, big. He can do it all. J.J. as in Jeremiah Smith? Yes, my guy. That's his nickname. They call him J.J.? J.J., yep. All right. I didn't know that. I wasn't privy to that. How often do you see some of the other guys? How much does Emeka Abuka come back or J.S.N. or Marvin Harrison? Are they back around a lot? Emeka hasn't been back yet. Like I said, they say the rookie year is your busiest year, so he hasn't been back around. But all the other guys have came through the program, revisited us, and gave us a negative thing. Yeah, you see Garrett Wilson, that whole crew and all of them. Yes, sir. That's incredible. What do we do when we get away from football? What do you do in your spare time? I play video games. I got a Lego set going. What Lego set are you doing? So right now I'm currently in Titanic still. So I've been in it since the beginning of the season. Wow Yeah How did you get into doing Legos like that It was a thing I was always into when I was younger younger My mom used to always take me to Legoland so I used to go out there and collect and play with the Legos in the store and just take them home Okay Are we working out? Yes, we are. I want to keep talking Legos. Isn't it a great way to just kind of get away from everything? You forget, like the whole world just disappears and you're just focusing on getting these damn blocks connected. Yes, sir. Definitely. What's the best one you've done other than the Titanic. Dive for Tower. Wow, that's a good one, too. Do you have any pictures for us on the phone right now? I don't have any pictures. It's about five feet tall, long days, long hours putting into it. I can never do that. I know that. All right, so you're working out, though. You're going to add to this Ohio State Freak Show here. My plan is to go out there and run the 40 as of now. We haven't decided on route running, but we're going to go out there and run the 40. Okay. Probably save the route for a pro day. Okay. From Chicago? Yes, sir. The Bears fan? Yes, sir. Always. Always. Bears fan. Dad was a Bears fan. Always hit the Bears game on. Favorite receiver growing up? Devontae Julio. Devontae or Julio. Yes, sir. Yeah, that's a good one. You're the second. That's the second time we've heard Devontae, for sure. All right, who's going to be the guy? You know, you get in the NFL, you step on the field, and you're like, damn. You know, anybody. Who is it? Who are you most excited to see in person? See in person? Yeah. I'm definitely excited to see all my guys from Ohio State. But as far as DBs, I'm excited to see Pat Sertain, who all the great ones, Tariq Willen. He's a lengthy corner of Quinnon Mitchell. Yeah, Quinnon. Yeah, and yeah, Weatherspoon's had a good year this past year. So, yeah. So you're just ready to face off right now? Yeah, I'm ready to face off, yeah. Okay, I like it. I like it. You going to be in Pittsburgh for the draft? Yes, sir, definitely. I feel like it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go out there and walk across the stage and shake the commissioner's hand. Have you already gotten the invitation? I've not yet. You will. You will. Some of the guys have. Somebody has had, but you will. Probably my agent knows, but I've just been focused on what's in the moment right now. Yeah, it's coming any day. What's been the hardest thing as far as the combine workout? The L drill killed me. I'm a big, white, pocket-passing quarterback, so I wasn't any good at that one. Agility with me is smooth. I'm a receiver. I can move lateral. I think our biggest thing is probably just 40. It's just so much anticipation on the 40, and it's one of the things that can hurt or help your stock. Yeah, yeah. Those first four steps can make the whole risk, right? Yeah, you got to get out. Yeah, you got to get out. Which is a completely unrealistic thing in football because, as someone told me years ago, the only time you run 40 yards in a straight line on a football field is when something really good is happening or when something really bad is happening. Well, he did it a lot last year, just so you know. While some good things were happening. He was going deep, going, I'm past 40 yards, I'm open. So this is one where it does hold true here all the way. Before we let you go, take a look at the camera, say hello to anybody you want to say hi to. I want to say hey to my grandmother, my mom, my dad, my sister, Kayla, my little sister, Naya, Riaja, then my little brother, Shasha, and then also my aunt, Astoria. Awesome. Good one, man. All right, first thing we're going to buy is NFL money. I definitely got to spoil it with Granny. Buy her a nice little house in Chicago so that I can go back home and call Chicago my home. Yeah, cool, man. I like it. I thought you were going to say another Lego set. What's the next Lego set after you finish the Titanic? I don't know. Probably one of the Star Wars collectors. There you go. Wow. Get the Ghostbusters Firehouse. You got that. I got to check that one out. You guys are nerds. It's a great way to ease your mind. I know. Cardell Tate. Thank you all. We'll be back with more PFT Live. Thank you, man. See you, buddy. Yes, sir. Good luck. Thank you, man. All right, we're back in Indianapolis. Joining us now. Here he is. Man of the hour, man of the moment, man of the year. Heisman Trophy winner. Presumptive number one overall pick. National champion. Awesome play to score the game-winning touchdown. Fernando Mendoza, welcome. Thank you guys for having me on. It's a pleasure to be on the show. It's great to have you. Was that the coolest play of your life right there? I mean, the play where you broke tackles and acted like Bo Jackson for about three seconds? Yeah, and I'm definitely not Bo Jackson. So God enabled me to do that. It was such a great play. The way that my all-line blocked so tenaciously through the whistle enabled me to make that play. It was just such a special moment. Are you thinking consciously in that moment how significant it is? Like what's riding on it, or is it just it's another play, just got to go make it? Well, I'd be lying to you if I said it was because it was a fourth down and five, a fourth down and six. And at that point, the game's riding on it. That's a huge score spread. In theory, if you don't get that, then UM takes the lead in the fourth quarter, and we need another game-winning drive. So at that point, I had to make sure whatever happens, I was going to keep my feet driving and get that first down. and just happened to get pinballed around and reach into the end zone for a touchdown. Well, you're a much bigger person than people realize, too. That's right. I had people all the time, like, last year, they were like, you know, how big is he? And I was like, everything I hear, he's 6'5", 220. They're like, really? Right? So you're not the easiest guy to tackle. How many times have you watched the game back? Yes, I have watched the game back. Okay. TV version or film version? Oh, film version. Film version. There's a lot of mistakes from the game that one improve on, especially for the next NFL team that drafts me. It was a great game, and you can never be mad about winning a national championship. Give me one thing you saw when you were watching the film, and you said, I've got to improve on that next level. I would say pocket prices a little bit. Maybe stepping up in the pocket a little bit more, or getting a little more depth on my drops, depending on it. Those edges did a great job. Bain and Mesador. However, we have a great offensive line at Indiana. I've got to help them out. Yeah. When you were at Cal, I mean, people were starting to notice you, obviously. And then, of course, Signetti saw you and was like, ooh, I see something there. But who else was it between in that process? Was it like Indiana, Signetti all the way, or was there anybody else you were kind of flirting with a little? Yeah, it was between Indiana and Georgia, which are great coaching staffs, great history with their quarterbacks and their quarterback development. And it came down to the last minute in the 11th hour. So I'm really thankful for both of those teams recruiting me. Well, okay, so I've got to ask you this then. 11th hour, and it's Georgia at the time. Okay, no disrespect to you, but it's Georgia in Indiana. So what was it about Indiana where you were like, okay, I'm going to go there? The way that Coach Ignat really harped on the quarterback development piece and the way that I saw my younger brother, Alberto Mendoza, who's a quarterback for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Now he is, yes. The way that I saw him develop in one year, it's like this place is special. I want to be there. That's interesting. So it was through your bug brother and the stories he was telling you. And then, of course, Ignetti's magic touch with his words and all that. That's awesome, man. How do you deal with this notion that you are going to be the number one overall pick, the Raiders are probably going to take you, but you still don't know and won't know for a while, unless they've told you. If they've told you and you want to tell us, we're happy to listen. But give us an idea of what that mindset's like as you're just waiting and waiting with this idea that you're likely going to be the first guy to be drafted. Yeah, I say likely in the media, but you never know what could happen. There's so many different things that happen on draft day. There's trades, and whatever team drafts me, I'll be more than happy. And this is the most extensive and important interview of my life. So at this point, I'm only at the first stage of the interview, which is the combine. Then I have the pro day, and then there's top 30 visits. So I'm really trying to make the most out of the opportunity. Whatever team drafts me, whether it's pick number one or the last pick in the draft, I'll be extremely fortunate. What's it been like so far being in some of these meetings and going there? Take people into it to what you go through a little bit. Yeah, I would say it's different for a quarterback than everybody else. It's different than a quarterback for everyone else. The meetings I've been in, I've gotten grilled about some pass plays in the past, about recalling some different types of plays. And it's been a great opportunity, I believe. When the pressure's on, everyone's on that room looking at you, watching you drop a play or watching you talk about the play. Yeah, right. It was how I like it. And it was, I think that was correlated to the Indiana season. Whenever the lights were bright, whenever the pressure was on, hey, at that point, there's no pressure. It's a, what a great opportunity. Pressure's a privilege. Stay in that moment, stick to the fundamentals, stick to the way you know. Where did you get this just everything's great, awesome attitude all the time? Who is it? I got it from my mother. I'm a perfectionist, a deep heart. So sometimes there are some negative thoughts and negative words. I told my mom, you know, she hit it out of me. She said, no, no more of those words. If you want optimistic results, then you need to speak optimistically and have an optimistic attitude. What's the defensive coverage that you see that makes you want to have negative thoughts? Yeah, you know, I would tell you, but I don't want any team. You guys are very watchable. Nobody watches us. You're fine. I will say it all the time. You're right. He struggles with cover, too, everybody. I was going to ask. First off, I want to see how he gripped the football. Let me just check that out, okay? Are you sure he wants that? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Wow, look at that. I gripped the football like this. It's something I've always gripped in a little pocket. Yeah. Three and under five. That's rare that the pinky right there is on three. There's not a lot of quarterbacks in football that do that. The pinky. The pinky. I mean, sorry, the ring finger. Excuse me. The pinky under. That's right. He went to Texas. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. All right. All right. Here's another one. Okay. Because, and I like that. It's interesting, though, that you're on three. Oh, yeah, Brett Favre was on three. Whoa. See, that's the student of my life. I love football. Well, not everybody's like that. I'm not. He was the only one who cared about this stuff. The last person that really came on here that really knew stuff like that was Caleb Williams, just so you know. And to me, you're in good company there. And I actually just tried to change it too this past summer. Yeah. And it was good. However, I just feel like I have more control of the ball. Just a little bit. And I tried it for a week. Yeah. And there's some good throws. cover a little bit higher. It was a little lower on the floor. I was like, man, I'm going to stick with number three. That's what got me to this point. I threw a number three offseason. I believe that's pretty accurate. We're going to end the show here soon. I want you to finish the story. You're the most perfect human ever. What's the worst thing you've ever done? Tell me the worst thing you've ever done. When did you get in trouble last? When did you get in trouble last? There's a lot of not great things that have happened and things I've done. However, I'm always looking to learn from those things. and I always try to be optimistic attitude, but I mean, I'm not the best person ever. I'm religious and I'm a sinner. My Lord Jesus Christ helps me every day try to overcome those sins. But I would say a funny story is my aunt and uncle's car. They're kind of our neighbors and they're pulling in the driveway and I used to just pelt them with water balloons, pelt the cars. That's perfectly normal. I like that. We do these snowballs up in the Northeast. We do stuff like that. That's a good one. Okay, good, good. All right. Fernando is a man of demand. We've got to say goodbye to you, Fernando. We appreciate you very much. I appreciate it. You're the man. Congratulations on your success, and we wish you all the best at the next level. Can't wait to see what you do. Appreciate it. You blew me out of the water with the Brett Favre thing. I'm just telling you. That was big time right there. I appreciate it. You're the man. All right. And we're going to be wrapping things up here in just about 30 seconds. Hang around. Oh, he's going to go? He's going to go. He's got to go. He's got to go. Fernando's got to go. We're going to get in trouble if we keep Fernando. I mean, that was phenomenal. That really was. And I'm not joking. Like, that to me. I mean, it's not like you said Patrick Mahomes. He's going back 20 years with Brett Favre. Yes, exactly. And see, Patrick Mahomes was a guy that knew stuff like that. And I know he was like that. So, yeah, you know, the ones that are really special and live it, and I'm not saying you don't have to be that way. They usually know stuff like that. You're watching closely on TV to see where the hand is on the ball. Exactly. All right. We're done. We're done. Where are we? Here, there, everywhere. See ya. See ya. from the Combine 2026.