Fernando Mendoza
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 09: Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts after passing for a touchdown against the Oregon Ducks during the second quarter of the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
It’s no secret the Las Vegas Raiders are going to draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza in April, and the latest report from NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah confirms it.
Jeremiah appeared on the Pat McAfee Show on March 27th and was asked by former NFL player A.J. Hawk if the Raiders are “100% locked in on Mendoza,” and his answer was extremely telling.
Raiders Quietly Making A Huge Move Behind the Scenes
Not only does Jeremiah confirm that Las Vegas is locked in on selecting Mendoza, but he also added that he’s already learning the Raiders’ offensive playbook.
“Talking around to people, not with the Raiders, but other folks, Fernando Mendoza is working with Brian Griese right now, and it’s not so much that they’re working on footwork, they’re installing the Raiders’ offense,” Jeremiah said. “He’s full-speed ahead.”
For those who may be a bit confused when Jeremiah mentioned Griese, who recently stepped down from being the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterbacks coach, he’s a former teammate of Tom Brady and has worked with Klint Kubiak in the past. He also played QB under Klint’s dad, Gary Kubiak, in the NFL for a few years as well.
It sounds like he’s now guiding Mendoza into the next stage of his journey.
“I think this is the same thing that happened with [Joe] Burrow,” Jeremiah added. “You can use this time to really try and learn a lot of the core verbiage and concepts along with an offense. It feels to me like I would be shocked, stunned, astonished if he’s not the first overall pick. I don’t see that going any other direction.”
Jeremiah on Mendoza: I’ve Been a Fernando Guy From the Jump
During the show, Jeremiah also added that he’s “been a Fernando guy from the jump.”
“I’ve been a Fernando guy from the jump. What he has is exceptional. You talk about the size, the intelligence, the arm strength, the accuracy. All that stuff is excellent. The two criticisms I’ve heard the most have been the RPOs in the offense and then I would say ‘Oh, he can be a little bit robotic and he’s more of a drive-thrower than a layer-thrower.'”
Like every prospect, they have their weaknesses. However, Jeremiah made a rebuttal against those two main weak spots pinned on Mendoza.
“You can’t get caught up in grading the offense that he’s in or grading what he’s been asked to do. You have to grade the skill set and what he does in big moments. …I can make a strong argument why he’s the first pick in the draft.”
It’s hard to argue against the Raiders not selecting Mendoza with the first pick. And it’s great to know that Mendoza is already in the lab working on setting himself up for success from Day 1. Now, it’s on the Raiders to continue to build up the roster and find some more talent to pair Mendoza with during the 2026 NFL Draft.