Fernando Mendoza has wasted no time making an impression on the Las Vegas Raiders. The No. 1 overall pick and reigning Heisman Trophy winner has drawn praise from coaches and teammates alike during the first week of organized team activities.
“He has been as advertised,” Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said. “He has not disappointed. He’s working his tail off. It’s very important to him. Asks a lot of great questions when he gets on the field. He’s no BS. He’s all ball.”
Mendoza, who led Indiana to a national championship last season, is competing with veteran Kirk Cousins for the starting quarterback job. Kubiak and general manager John Spytek have indicated they would prefer Mendoza to learn behind Cousins, but both have stressed that playing time will be earned.
“It’s going to reveal itself, especially in training camp,” Kubiak said of the quarterback decision. “But it’s going to reveal itself here in these next however many (practices) we have? Eight OTAs, these minicamp practices. But yeah, we definitely will let the players figure that out for us with their tape.”
Left tackle Kolton Miller observed that Mendoza has been “like a sponge,” always taking notes and handling the transition well. Running back Ashton Jeanty noted that both quarterbacks bring positive energy, with Cousins providing veteran leadership and Mendoza learning from his college success.
Despite a 15-year age gap, Mendoza and Cousins have quickly bonded. The pair starred in a viral schedule release video parodying the movie “Step Brothers.” Kubiak joked, “I’d love for him to focus on football more,” but Mendoza said the production was a fun way to connect with fans and didn’t detract from preparation.
Mendoza recently attended the NFL Rookie Premiere, a mandatory event he admitted he would have rather skipped to keep practicing. “I’m going to be completely honest with you, I’d rather be practicing right now, and I was really upset about actually having to miss practice for this,” he said. “Still, it’s been a great moment… I’m going to have a smile on my face and make the most of that present moment.”
Kubiak said the quarterback room, which also includes Aidan O’Connell, benefits from the environment created by offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan. The coach’s measure for Mendoza’s progress is simple: “Completions. Getting the ball to playmakers and letting them work on time, that’s the progress we want to see.”
