Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Hoosiers
Heavy
(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raidersare expected to take former Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in late April. However, there are concerns regarding Mendoza transitioning from the Hoosiers’ RPO-style offense to an NFL-style offense.
Nonetheless, like any good player who knows where he needs to improve, Mendoza is already addressing concerns about his ability to adapt to a pro-style offense, even before the Raiders or any other team selects him.
On April 6, ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick shared an update on Mendoza, noting that the QB is working with a former player and QB coach to help him start adjusting to the current version of the West Coast offense.
“Fernando Mendoza is working with an ex-QB/QB coach who played in and very recently coached the current version of the ‘West Coast’ offense that Fernando would be running in Las Vegas, and from what I am told he is picking it up rapidly, and he is well aware of where he needs to get to in order to be the best version he can be within that system come September,”Riddick wrote on X.
Dan Orlovsky: Ty Simpson Fits Raiders HC Offense Better
The conversation about whether Mendoza can adapt to Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak’s offense came up after ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky said Ty Simpson would be a better fit.
“If we’re being honest, and people won’t say it, I will: Ty Simpson, schematically, is a better fit or marriage for what the Las Vegas Raiders would do under Klint Kubiak than Fernando Mendoza,” Orlovsky said on the April 6 edition of “Get Up.”
“So Klint Kubiak is a coach, and he’s not going to change… Fernando Mendoza took five snaps total from underneath the center in his college career. So this is going to be a drastically different experience from Mendoza when it comes to operating the quarterback position…
“He’s not going to completely try to change the way he goes about offense. So I think that’s going to take much more time for Mendoza to get comfortable playing than people expect. And that’s why I say — and this isn’t a Simpson thing — that’s why I say fit-wise it’s going to be very different.”
Rich Gannon Talks Kirk Cousins’ Arrival in Las Vegas
Nonetheless, the Raiders aren’t going to toss Mendoza to the fire if he’s not ready, which is why the Silver and Black signed Kirk Cousins.
With Las Vegas now having its veteran that can potentially play in front of Mendoza and mentor him, former Raiders QB Rich Gannon shared his thoughts on the signing.
“I think it makes a lot of sense, and I think you can look into ita number of different ways,”Gannon said in an April 2 video from the New York Post. “He’s going to be the starter in Week 1. I don’t think we need to get that far. I just think bringing in a quality player and person like Kirk Cousins is important.
“He’s got, you know, 14 years of experience; he’s got 167 starts under his belt. He’s thrown for almost 45,000 yards and almost 300 touchdowns [and] he’s played well for a number of different organizations.”