INDIANAPOLIS — Nobody in the Las Vegas Raiders organization is going to come out and explicitly confirm the team’s fairly obvious plan to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft.
What is clear as the NFL combine wraps up this week, however, is that the Heisman Trophy winner fits the description of what the organization is looking for in a quarterback and face of the franchise.
“The things that stick out to me are decision-making, timing and accuracy,” new coach Klint Kubiak said of what is required to play quarterback in his offensive system. “No matter if it’s the first pick in the draft or the last pick, that’s what we’re looking for. If you’re the head of the organization, you have to be the best decision-maker on and off the field. Timing is just getting the ball out on time to our playmakers and not holding onto the ball. And accuracy is as explained. So those three things are really important right there.”
Check, check and check for the choirboy who just so happens to be an elite ball distributor on the football field.
Those are Mendoza’s strengths. While there are some questions about his ability to push the ball downfield and occasional habit of getting happy feet in the pocket, Mendoza is a sage whose timing and accuracy are at the top of the charts.
‘Tough as hell’
The description given by general manager John Spytek to the same question also lined up with the traits possessed by Mendoza.
Combine week is the first time NFL teams can sit down with a prospect and start to figure out whether he is the right fit.
Those meetings last 18 minutes, so there’s not much time to deep dive.
Spytek said with a quarterback, it’s important to try to figure out if the player is smart and endearing. Do they have humility while also being able to serve as a connector of people in the organization?
“A leader, tough as hell, somebody that loves to play football, maniacal preparer,” he said of what he wants in a quarterback. “Obviously, somebody that can throw the ball well, but I think just somebody that loves the game and will give everything to their teammates, a selfless person, somebody that’s going to give their team everything that they got every time that they’re out there, prepare the right way, lead the right way. I think there’s a great humility and selflessness required to play that position at a high level.”
‘A great leader’
It’s almost the exact way Mendoza was described by Indiana teammate Omar Cooper Jr. this week.
“The team that drafts Fernando Mendoza is getting just a great leader, a great, down-to-earth guy, someone who loves football as well,” the receiver said. “He’s going to do whatever it takes to help his team win and he showcased that this year. He’s going to put his body on the line because of how much he loves football and then loves his teammates.”
Whether the Raiders take Mendoza or make a stunning move and either pick someone else or trade away the pick in search of more assets in what figures to be a terrific quarterback class next season, the success or failure of the next franchise signal-caller is almost certain to determine Kubiak’s fate as coach of the Raiders.
He needs to be part of making the right decision.
It’s still pretty early in the process for him on Mendoza as Kubiak was occupied making a Super Bowl run with the Seattle Seahawks and unable to study much tape on college football’s top player.
‘A winner’
But there is one key trait he knows the Miami native possesses.
“He had a lot of success and won a national championship,” Kubiak said. “That’s what you want, a winner.”
Identifying the right quarterback to lead the franchise is only one step in the process. Spytek has said when quarterbacks don’t succeed, it’s more often a case of the organization failing the player than the other way around.
He has indicated a preference to let a rookie quarterback sit behind a veteran early in his rookie season in order to ease into the rigors of the league.
There is also a responsibility to not make him try to win games on his own once he is on the field.
Kubiak believes it’s his job to give the quarterback a chance.
But ultimately, there will be a lot on the shoulders of the man under center.
“Great quarterbacks just find a way to get it done,” he said. “They find a way to get the best out of their teammates and bring people together. It’s obviously our job as coaches (to create a favorable situation), but the cream rises to the top.
“So, you’re looking for that individual who can find a way no matter the circumstances.”
The Raiders appear to believe, or at least hope, that could be Mendoza.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.