Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza became the 26th Heisman winner to be selected No. 1 overall in the NFL draft after the Oakland Raiders selected him in 2026. Mendoza continues a legacy that dates back to the first Heisman winner, Chicago running back Jay Berwanger, being selected No. 1 overall in the first-ever NFL draft in 1936.
Of the 26 players, only Mendoza, Joe Burrow (2019), Jameis Winston (2013) and Cam Newton (2010) have won the Heisman trophy, a college football national championship and been selected first overall.
View the full list of Heisman Trophy winners to be selected first overall in the NFL draft below.
Heisman Trophy winners to go No. 1 overall
| Heisman YEAR | WINNER | College TEAM | POSITION | Draft Year | NFL Draft Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Jay Berwanger | Chicago | HB | 1936 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 1940 | Tom Harmon | Michigan | HB | 1941 | Chicago Bears |
| 1942 | Frank Sinkwich | Georgia | HB | 1943 | Detroit Lions |
| 1943 | Angelo Bertelli | Notre Dame | QB | 1944 | Boston Yanks |
| 1949 | Leon Hart | Notre Dame | TE | 1950 | Detroit Lions |
| 1956 | Paul Hornung | Notre Dame | QB | 1957 | Green Bay Packers |
| 1959 | Billy Cannon | LSU | HB | 1960 | Los Angeles Rams |
| 1961 | Ernie Davis | Syracuse | HB/LB/FB | 1962 | Washington Redskins |
| 1962 | Terry Baker | Oregon State | QB | 1963 | Los Angeles Rams |
| 1968 | O. J. Simpson | USC | HB | 1969 | Buffalo Bills |
| 1970 | Jim Plunkett | Stanford | QB | 1971 | New England Patriots |
| 1977 | Earl Campbell | Texas | RB | 1978 | Houston Oilers |
| 1978 | Billy Sims | Oklahoma | RB | 1980 | Detroit Lions |
| 1980 | George Rogers | South Carolina | RB | 1981 | New Orleans Saints |
| 1985 | Bo Jackson | Auburn | RB | 1986 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers* |
| 1986 | Vinny Testaverde | Miami | QB | 1987 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 2002 | Carson Palmer | USC | QB | 2003 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 2008 | Sam Bradford | Oklahoma | QB | 2010 | St. Louis Rams |
| 2010 | Cam Newton | Auburn | QB | 2011 | Carolina Panthers |
| 2013 | Jameis Winston | Florida State | QB | 2015 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 2017 | Baker Mayfield | Oklahoma | QB | 2018 | Cleveland Browns |
| 2018 | Kyler Murray | Oklahoma | QB | 2019 | Arizona Cardinals |
| 2019 | Joe Burrow | LSU | QB | 2020 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 2021 | Bryce Young | Alabama | QB | 2023 | Carolina Panthers |
| 2022 | Caleb Williams | Southern California | QB | 2024 | Chicago Bears |
| 2026 | Fernando Mendoza | Indiana | QB | 2026 | Oakland Raiders |
*Bo Jackson was draft No. 1 overall in the 1986 NFL draft but chose to play baseball with the Kansas City Royals over the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers forfeited his rights before the 1987 NFL draft and the Los Angeles Raiders selected Jackson in the seventh round with the 183rd pick.
👀 COLLEGE CAREERS OF NFL STARS 🏈
2025 NFL Draft QBS: Shedeur Sanders | Cam Ward | Jalen Milroe | Quinn Ewers | Kyle McCord | Jaxson Dart | Max Brosmer
More 2025 NFL Draft: Ashton Jeanty | Abdul Carter | Travis Hunter
2024 NFL Draft: Jayden Daniels | Xavier Worthy | Carson Steele
2023 NFL Draft QBs: Bryce Young | C.J. Stroud | Anthony Richardson |Will Levis | Aiden O'Connell
2023 NFL Draft WRs: Zay Flowers | Rashee Rice |Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Jordan Addison | Puka Nacua | Quentin Johnston
More 2023 NFL Draft: Bijan Robinson | Will Anderson Jr. | Jalen Carter | Jahmyr Gibbs
2022 NFL Draft: Kenny Pickett |Christian Watson | Aidan Hutchinson | Brock Purdy |
Malik Willis | Isiah Pacheco | Bailey Zappe | Skylar Thompson
2021 NFL Draft QBs: Trevor Lawrence | Trey Lance | Justin Fields | Mac Jones
2021 NFL Draft WRs: Ja'Marr Chase | DeVonta Smith | Nico Collins | Amon-Ra St. Brown
2020 NFL Draft: Joe Burrow | Tua Tagovailoa | Jordan Love | Tee Higgins | Jalen Hurts
2019 NFL Draft: Kyler Murray | Deebo Samuel | Gardner Minshew II | Miles Sanders |
A.J. Brown | Nick Bosa
2018 NFL Draft: Lamar Jackson | Saquon Barkley | Baker Mayfield | Josh Allen |
Darius Leonard | Fred Warner | Roquan Smith | Shaquem Griffin
2017 NFL Draft: Patrick Mahomes | Deshaun Watson | | Cooper Kupp |
JuJu Smith-Schuster | Haason Reddick
2016 NFL Draft: Jared Goff | Carson Wentz | Jalen Ramsey | Chris Jones
2015 NFL Draft: Stefon Diggs
2014 NFL Draft: Aaron Donald | Odell Beckham Jr. | Khalil Mack | Jerick McKinnon | Jimmy Garoppolo
2013 NFL draft: Travis Kelce
More: Tom Brady | Jackie Robinson | Deion Sanders | Cam Newton | Matthew Stafford
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
