The 2026 NFL Draft has arrived, and with it comes one of the most anticipated rookie cards in Madden Ultimate Team history. Fernando Mendoza—the Indiana Hoosiers legend, Heisman Trophy winner, and now the 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders—is available as a 99 OVR Draft Night Champion. If you want to secure this card for your lineup without grinding through dozens of solo challenges, you can buy Mut 26 coins to afford him directly from the auction house and add the Mendoza magic to your squad immediately.

This guide walks you through everything you need to know to add Mendoza to your lineup.

The Main Set: Crafting 99 OVR Fernando Mendoza

The primary method to unlock Mendoza is through the NFL Draft Night Champion Set. This follows the same structure as other top draft picks in the program.

To get the 99 OVR Fernando Mendoza, you need to add five 96 OVR NFL Draft Players to his specific set. Once you do, you receive a 99 OVR NFL Draft Night Player of your choice—and that's where you select Mendoza.

But how do you get those five 96 OVR players? You build them through lower-tier sets first.

The Complete Set Ladder (Step by Step)

If you're starting from scratch, here's the full progression path from bottom to top.

Step 1: Get 93 OVR NFL Draft Players

Start with the Fantasy 93 OVR NFL Draft High Elite Pack. This set requires two 91 OVR NFL Draft Players plus one 91-92 OVR Player from any program. Complete this set, and you receive your choice of a 93 OVR NFL Draft Player. Repeat as many times as needed.

Step 2: Turn 93s into 96 OVR NFL Draft Players

Next, move to the Fantasy 96 OVR NFL Draft Hero Pack. This set takes three 93 OVR NFL Draft Players plus two 93-94 OVR Players from any program. Complete it, and you receive your choice of a 96 OVR NFL Draft Player.

Step 3: (Optional) Go for 97 or 98 OVR players

If you want to build depth or target slightly lower draft picks along the way, there are intermediate sets. The Fantasy 97 OVR NFL Draft Night Champion Pack requires two 96 OVR NFL Draft Players plus one 93 OVR NFL Draft Player and rewards a 97 OVR Draft Night Player (typically a late first-round pick). The Fantasy 98 OVR version requires three 96 OVR NFL Draft Players plus one 93 OVR NFL Draft Player and rewards a 98 OVR pick (typically a mid first-rounder).

Step 4: The final step—99 OVR Mendoza

Once you have accumulated five 96 OVR NFL Draft Players, you can add them all to the 99 OVR NFL Draft Night Champion Set. The reward is your choice of a 99 OVR NFL Draft Night Player. Fernando Mendoza is among those choices, alongside other top prospects like Marvin Harrison Jr., Colston Loveland, and Jonathon Cooper.

How to Get the Required Players Without Spending Money

You don't need to open pack after pack to make this happen. Here are four reliable methods.

Method 1: Play Draft Events (H2H or CPU)

The NFL Draft Program includes special events that let you draft temporary rosters separate from your main Ultimate Team. Both Head-to-Head and CPU versions are available and offer high OVR players as rewards. If you're not ready to go head-to-head, there is no shame in prioritizing CPU entries for more consistent rewards.

Method 2: Grind Challenges

Use the new Challenges to earn Coins, BND (Bound) Players, and Upgrade Tokens for your Welcome Draft Player. You can use those Upgrade Tokens to evolve your starter draft player all the way to 99 OVR.

Method 3: Dig Into Your Inventory

If you have played MUT since launch—or even since the Super Bowl—you are bound to have players in the high-80s or low-90s sitting in your inventory. They can be traded into earlier Draft sets. Late in the MUT season is the perfect time to liquidate unused cards. Do not let them rot.

Method 4: Utilize the Auction House

Earlier NFL Draft sets include players from programs in the high-80s and low-90s. Try using Auction House filters to look for lower overall players that may be available at a range of prices. You can often snipe bargain cards from people cleaning out their binders. Set your filter to Program: NFL Draft, then sort by Buy Now Price from lowest to highest.

Five Quick Tips for Unlocking Draft Night Players

Tip 1: Set up for success. You will need 96 OVR NFL Draft Players. The most efficient path is combining three 93 OVR NFL Draft Players with two 93-94 OVR Players from any program. Focus on that set first.

Tip 2: Build through the draft. Unless you run gauntlets like a Combine warrior, Head-to-Head and CPU Draft Events are great ways to earn high rewards. Not ready for H2H? Prioritize CPU entries for more consistent rewards. There is no shame in taking the solo path.

Tip 3: Gain confidence through challenges. Struggling in Events? Use the new Challenges to earn Coins, BND Players, and Upgrade Tokens for your Welcome Draft Player. You can literally create your own 99 OVR player this way, and more challenges are coming next week.

Tip 4: Dig into the inventory. If you have played MUT since launch—or even since the Super Bowl—you are bound to have players in the high-80s or low-90s sitting in your inventory. They can be traded late in the MUT season. Do not let them rot.

Tip 5: Utilize the Auction House. Earlier NFL Draft sets include players from programs in the high-80s and low-90s. Try using Auction House filters to look for lower overall players that may be available at a range of prices.

Summary Checklist

Before you start grinding for Fernando Mendoza, make sure you have a plan. Play Draft Events (H2H or CPU) for high-tier rewards. Complete NFL Draft Challenges for tokens and BND players. Purge your inventory and trade in unused 80s and 90s players. Snipe the Auction House for 93 OVR and 96 OVR Draft players. Then complete the Fantasy 93 set, followed by the Fantasy 96 set, and finally the 99 OVR set. When the choice pack appears, select Fernando Mendoza. If your coin stack is running low during this grind, you can buy Madden 26 coins from MMOEXP to keep the momentum going and secure those missing pieces without hours of extra farming.