BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Las Vegas Raiders’ entire front office will be on hand Wednesday when Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza holds his pro day, the last on-field audition before the NFL draft. General manager John Spytek will lead a large contingent from the organization to watch the Heisman Trophy winner throw in a controlled setting designed to highlight his strengths.
Spytek said the Raiders have already done extensive homework on Mendoza, including attending the national championship game where he led the Hoosiers to a perfect season and a CFP title over Miami. But the No. 1 overall pick is too valuable to leave any stone unturned.
“I’ve been to a lot of quarterback pro days in my career,” Spytek said. “Most of them, for the guys that are good players, are really good.”
The Raiders want to see more than just accuracy. Coach Klint Kubiak said watching Mendoza throw live reveals things film cannot capture.
“Seeing the velocity with which it comes off their wrist and how accurate they are and how they interact with the teammates they’re throwing the ball to and whether being around scouts and GMs and coaches makes them nervous,” Kubiak said. “Being able to see what their demeanor is like in a pressure situation is valuable.”
Mendoza did not throw at the NFL combine in February, making Wednesday’s workout the only chance for evaluators to see him throw before the draft. Spytek acknowledged the importance of the on-field portion: “The football part of it is always critical.”
Perhaps even more significant than the workout itself will be the time the Raiders spend with Mendoza off the field. Spytek said the team will “get a little bit of a chance to spend some time with them and visit with them a little bit more than we have.”
Next week, Mendoza is scheduled to visit the Raiders’ facility in Henderson, where the evaluation will go deeper. Spytek explained that the visit includes seeing how the prospect moves through the building and treats staff.
“They spend a lot of time with the coaches, just trying to see how intelligent they are, how well they understand the game,” Spytek said. “But to me, a big part of it too is just watching them move through the building, how they treat people, just having good conversations with them, to get to know them a little bit better and decide, like, can we see them being a part of our team, or is it maybe just not a great fit?”
The Raiders hold the No. 1 pick and are widely expected to select Mendoza, who is considered the top prospect in the draft. A miss on a quarterback at that spot can set a franchise back years, and Spytek is leaving no detail to chance.
