Manning told reporters Wednesday about his efforts.Peyton Manning at the 2015 Night of Champions event talks about his draft day and says the NFL asked him to encourage Fernando Mendoza to attend the draft.His efforts were unsuccessful. Also a funny recollection of Eli’s draft night. pic.twitter.com/tJAR8UcJfL— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) April 22, 2026"It was a special day, I'll be honest. The NFL reached out to me, I reached out to Mendoza to maybe encourage him to go to the draft, I know he's staying home with his family, which will be fine.

But it is special to be there. . . I remember getting drafted. I flew to Indianapolis for a little press conference and then the Colts flew me to Knoxville and I had a draft party.

That was my message to Fernando is you can do both. You can go to the draft and have a good party."That hard sell by Manning didn't convince Mendoza to spend his night in Pittsburgh and take the stage with Roger Goodell, something the commissioner clearly very much would like to happen. Otherwise he wouldn't have asked Peyton to be his ambassador.The NFL has been selling the Draft spectacle harder and harder every year.

It's a much bigger event now than it was in 1998 when Manning took the stage. The last thing Goodell wants is his top drafted players opting out of his big offseason Super Bowl. In that, Mendoza spurned the NFL commissioner and a Denver Bronco.Somewhere Al Davis is smiling.This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: NFL recruited Peyton Manning to convince Fernando Mendoza to attend Draft