Fernando Mendoza having a New York moment with Jets draft possibility lurking

This weekend might be a trial run for Fernando Mendoza.A sneak peek into his future.Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.

There is a chance that the Indiana star quarterback and heavy Heisman Trophy favorite could be moving into the area full time.Most experts have Mendoza listed as the top quarterback in April’s NFL draft and the three-win Jets are in desperate need of a franchise quarterback.“I’d like to think of myself, I got this reference from Sam Darnold, and he was saying he views himself as a point guard,” the 6-foot-5 Mendoza said inside the Marriott Marquis on Friday afternoon in Midtown Manhattan.“I’m not the LeBron James of the team.

I’m not Shaquille O’Neal.I’m the point guard, dishing it out to all my playmakers.”The Jets have lacked that “point guard” for what feels like an eternity.

They currently own the seventh pick in the draft, but could obviously rise depending on how the rest of the season plays out.They also have plenty of draft capital after adding top picks in the Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner trades, giving them the option to potentially move up.“Football aside, I love New York City.

However, right now I’m focused on celebrating this weekend and I’m also focused on the rest of the College Football Playoffs,” Mendoza said.“We think we have three games left, and that’s where all my focus is right now, to be in the present moment and give all my attention to the Indiana Hoosiers.”Mendoza mostly stayed away from discussing his future and the NFL draft, repeatedly telling reporters he would shift his attention to his pro career at the proper time.

Of course, he can’t help but notice mock drafts — they are everywhere.He’s doing his best to not let it consume him.After all, Mendoza has come so far in a relatively short period of time.

He was a lightly recruited three-star high school prospect out of Christopher ...