Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Hoosiers
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(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raidersare projected to select former Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft later this month. Questions remain, though, about how smoothly he’ll transition from Indiana’s RPO-style offense to a more traditional NFL style offense.
Still, Mendoza is tackling those concerns head-on. Even before the Raiders or any team makes a pick, he’s working on adapting to a pro-style offense and refining the skills he knows will be crucial at the next level.
During an April 7 appearance on “Football 301 with Nate Tice,” Mendoza downplayed the RPO narrative that’s surrounding him as a potential concern that the Raiders or any team that selects him might have.
“The RPO narrative can definitelybe seen as a knock,” Mendoza said. “However, I’ve actually had four different offensive coordinators and four different systems, from pro-style myfreshman year to run-and-shoot, to pure Air Raid, and last year, a more multiple-front approach.
“I also think the RPO forces you to make split-second decisions, reading defenders and how they move, and reacting in real time.”
Raiders Get Wild Take Involving Ty Simpson
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.”
Fernando Mendoza Is Preparing for Pro-Style Offense
Despite concerns the Raiders or other teams might have, Mendoza is upfront and tackling them. Not only is he giving interviews to ease any concerns, but he’s also putting in the work behind the scenes to ensure he’s ready for a pro-style offense.
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.