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The Las Vegas Raiders are having their first dialogues with former Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza to determine whether the Silver and Black will select him with the No. 1 overall pick.
With the Raiders needing a franchise QB and Mendoza right there for them to take him, many project the 22-year-old to head to Las Vegas when the 2026 NFL Draft gets underway.
On Feb. 27, Mendoza spoke with reporters and shared his first impressions of Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak.
“They’re very football savvy, which is great to see,” Mendoza said of Kubiak (h/t Brandy Flores of Raiders Nation Radio). “They taught me a play, and they had their whole progression of how they teach quarterbacks to play. It was very similar to how my Indiana progression was. Very Type A guys, and they had all the details of each play, what to do if you get a problem with each play, what’s your drop, what’s your progression. That’s something that I really enjoy.”
Moreover, Mendoza also shared his honest thoughts on the Raiders’ minority owner, Tom Brady. The former Indiana star didn’t hold back on the opportunity to potentially have Brady as a mentor.
“Who hasn’t admired Tom Brady?” Mendoza added (h/t FOX Sports). “I mean, more Super Bowl rings than anybody. That opportunity would be fantastic. Tom Brady, I believe, is the greatest quarterback of all time by a wide margin. To be able to have the opportunity to be mentored by him, it would mean so much, especially to learn.
“I’m all about learning. From Day 1, I got to learn a lot. It’s going to be a long journey. To potentially have a mentor like that, it’d be pretty impressive and pretty meaningful.”
The Raiders Are Prepared In Case They Have a Rookie QB
Raiders general manager John Spytek spoke with the media on Feb. 24. While not mentioning Mendoza by name, he did give a general reference to potentially having a rookie signal-caller next season.
Spytek noted what’s needed to ensure that a rookie QB like Mendoza, should they go this route, has success in the NFL.
“I think you’ve got to support them in many different ways,” Spytek said (h/t Raider Nation Radio). “To think that you’re just going to take a young quarterback anywhere and just start them Week 1 and it’s going to go great is naive, and you’re not doing that kid any favors at all. I think probably more organizations fail those kids than those kids fail the organizations.
“So, whoever we got at the quarterback spot, it takes the whole building to support them because they have such a hard job. We’ve got to be patient with young players in general. I think we saw that with some. Offensive line, it’s a hard job to come in and start as a rookie. Those guys had to earn the chance to go play football. We’ve got to support those guys and build them up and develop them.”
Fernando Mendoza Would Bring Clutch Factor to Las Vegas
Meanwhile, FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt believes that if the Raiders were to select Mendoza, they’d be receiving a player who isn’t shy in stepping up in the most tense situations of a game.
“When you look at Mendoza and his best performances and his most clutch performances and the most important parts of the season, what was he doing? Making huge throws from the pocket,” Klatt said during a Feb. 24 appearance on “The Herd.” “Third downs, fourth downs, on the road: Iowa, Oregon, Penn State, Big Ten Championship Game, Ohio State, Natty, Miami.
“What was he doing? Late in the game, late in the down sequence, making throws from the pocket. I think he’s accurate. Reminds me a little bit of Michael Penix Jr. and his accuracy, in the vein of being a leverage thrower.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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