Raiders Draft Pick Fernando Mendoza Stuns Scouts With Record-Breaking Throws
By 813 Staff
League insiders were caught off guard as Raiders Draft Pick Fernando Mendoza Stuns Scouts With Record-Breaking Throws, according to Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) (in the last 24 hours).
Source: https://x.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/2060485471516409972
The Raiders have their quarterback of the future, and the league is already taking notice in ways that border on the absurd. Fernando Mendoza, the sixth-round pick out of Cal who many analysts wrote off as a developmental project, has reportedly been turning heads so dramatically during OTAs that a prominent NFL insider felt compelled to describe his throwing talent in terms that leave little to the imagination. Dov Kleiman of @NFL_DovKleiman posted Tuesday morning that Mendoza’s passes are, to put it charitably, a thing of beauty—calling the rookie a “superstar” just weeks into his professional career. Those close to the situation say the reaction from veteran defensive backs during 7-on-7 drills has been telling; they’re not used to seeing a young arm deliver that kind of zip and placement on the move.
The front office has been quietly high on Mendoza since they snagged him at pick No. 198 in April’s draft, but league sources confirm that even they didn’t expect the buzz to hit this level before training camp. The Raiders have a crowded quarterback room with incumbent starter Gardner Minshew and second-year man Aidan O’Connell still in the mix, but the chatter coming out of Henderson is that Mendoza’s natural talent is forcing the coaching staff to reconsider the depth chart sooner than planned. Head coach Antonio Pierce has been careful not to anoint anyone publicly, but the grapevine suggests Mendoza is getting extra reps with the second-team offense, a clear sign the leash is shortening.
Why this matters for Raider Nation: Las Vegas hasn’t had a quarterback prospect generate this kind of organic excitement since—well, maybe never. The franchise has cycled through stopgaps and retreads for years, and if Mendoza’s arm is as live as the early reports indicate, this sixth-round pick could reshape the team’s entire timeline. What happens next is the million-dollar question. The team will reconvene for mandatory minicamp in mid-June, where Mendoza will face his first real test against a fully installed defensive scheme. No one is handing him the job yet, but the buzz is real, and everyone in the building knows it.
Source: https://x.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/2060485471516409972
