Celebrity Names: Fernando Mendoza, Carnell Tate, Caleb Downs, Rueben Bain Jr., Jordyn Tyson, Jonah Coleman, Makai Lemon, Arvell Reese, Kenyon Sadiq, Jacob Rodriguez, Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, D’Angelo Ponds, Elijah Sarratt
Brand Name: Adidas
Deal Type: Multi-Athlete Brand Partnership / Sponsorship
Announced: March 23, 2026
Impact: Largest projected first-round class in Adidas NFL history; marks a pivotal momentum shift for the three-stripe brand in American football
- Fernando Mendoza headlines the class, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner led Indiana to a 16-0 national championship and is projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, making him the crown jewel of Adidas’ biggest-ever rookie class.
- A historic Ohio State haul (Arvell Reese, Carnell Tate, and Caleb Downs) are all projected top-10 picks, meaning Adidas could have four first-rounders from the same school in a single draft, a feat not seen since Notre Dame in 1946.
- All 14 rookies were flown to Adidas’ Portland headquarters for the brand’s first-ever Football Pro Day, which included gear testing, custom fittings, and a first look at the new Innovation Lab and the next-gen ADIZERO HORIZON cleat.
- The future of football footwear is here: Adidas debuted Project R.A.P. (Radical Athlete Perception), a 3D-printed, additive manufacturing platform that creates bespoke performance products tailored to individual athletes and sports.
Adidas has unveiled its 2026 NFL Rookie Class on March 23, signing 14 elite prospects ahead of the April 23 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, its largest projected first-round class ever.
Leading the group is Fernando Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner who took Indiana to a perfect 16-0 national championship, becoming the first Hoosier to ever win college football’s top individual award. Already an Adidas NIL partner, his pro deal was a natural next step.
Projected as the No. 1 overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders, Mendoza said of the partnership: “Adidas has been part of my story since I got to Indiana, so getting to continue that into the next chapter feels right.”
Joining him are Ohio State standouts Arvell Reese (LB/EDGE, projected No. 2 pick), Carnell Tate (WR, projected top-5), and Caleb Downs (S, projected top-10), a historic haul from one school.
The class also includes Rueben Bain Jr. (DE, Miami), Jordyn Tyson (WR, Arizona State), Makai Lemon (WR, USC), Kenyon Sadiq (TE, Oregon), Jacob Rodriguez (LB, Texas Tech), Denzel Boston (WR, Washington), KC Concepcion (WR, Texas A&M), D’Angelo Ponds (DB, Indiana), Jonah Coleman (RB, Washington), and Elijah Sarratt (WR, Indiana).
All 14 athletes visited Adidas’ Portland HQ for the brand’s inaugural Football Pro Day, an experience that included custom gear fittings, brand deep-dives, and a first look at Adidas’ newly renovated Innovation Lab.
There, the rookies tested the ADIZERO HORIZON cleat and became the first athletes in the world to preview Project R.A.P. (Radical Athlete Perception), a cutting-edge 3D-printed manufacturing platform designed to create bespoke performance footwear for individual athletes.
This rookie class joins a growing Adidas NFL roster that includes Patrick Mahomes, Micah Parsons, Brock Purdy, and Travis Hunter, a clear signal that the three stripes are serious about reclaiming the football market.
This signing follows Adidas’ recent momentum in sports partnerships. The brand recently tapped Lamine Yamal to front the SP5DER x Adidas Adizero F50 Formotion campaign and featured Jalen Williams and Kahleah Copper in its new Adidas Climacool campaign.
Takeaways
This isn’t just a sponsorship announcement, it’s a statement. Adidas is making a calculated, aggressive play to own the next generation of NFL talent before their careers even officially begin.
By locking in Fernando Mendoza, the face of an entire draft class, alongside four highly projected Ohio State first-rounders, the brand is essentially buying years of premium, organic exposure across the biggest stage in American sports.
What’s really smart here is the Innovation Lab strategy. Bringing athletes to Portland before they’ve played a single NFL snap builds loyalty from day one. These players will be brand believers, not just endorsers. And Project R.A.P.? That’s a long-term play. If 3D-printed, athlete-specific footwear becomes the standard, Adidas will have already had its 2026 class testing it.
For Nike and Jordan Brand, this should sting. Adidas hasn’t historically dominated football endorsements, but with Mahomes already on the roster and now the deepest rookie class in brand history, the competitive balance in football sponsorships is shifting.
With Ohio State potentially placing four top-10 picks in the same draft, could Adidas turn a school-brand partnership into a decade-long pipeline of elite NFL talent? Will locking in rookies before the draft, rather than after, become the new standard for sports marketing deals?
