Not everyone believes Fernando Mendoza will be a star in the NFL.
One college coach who faced the Raiders’ new quarterback while the signal-caller was at Cal told ESPN recently he couldn’t foresee the 22-year-old having a Pro Bowl-caliber career.
“He’s a good decision-maker,” the coach said, “but I don’t think he’s got the NFL traits.”
The coach explained that most of Mendoza’s highlight-reel plays came from back-shoulder throws — and he’s not convinced that’s a translatable trait.
“That’s not working in the NFL,” he said. “His receivers made plays to make him look better than he is. In the NFL, those throws are getting picked off.”
Mendoza began his collegiate career at Cal in 2022 and earned his first start for the Golden Bears in 2023. After playing in a total of 20 games in ’23 and ’24, he transferred to Indiana and had a dream season in ’25.
Mendoza completed 72 percent of his passes for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He won the Heisman Trophy and the national championship.
On April 23, he was taken by the Raiders with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Another college coach who spoke with ESPN under the condition of anonymity had some similar concerns as the other unnamed coach, though he certainly seemed more optimistic about Mendoza’s chances.
“He had a lot of support, lot of help there, so we’ll see what he can do,” the second coach said. “What I was impressed with him is coming up big. You can’t teach that, and he has it.”
Who’s right and who’s wrong will take some time to figure out — Mendoza is not expected to play immediately for Las Vegas, as the team signed veteran Kirk Cousins to start this season.
