Former Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza has the chance to complete the perfect year on draft night should he be picked No. 1 overall as is widely projected in several mock drafts. Mendoza led the Hoosiers to an unbeaten season that included the Big Ten and national championships and added the Heisman Trophy as a bonus.
Mendoza has been repeatedly linked via the draft to the Las Vegas Raiders, who hold the No. 1 pick on draft night.
Urban Meyer Reveals Biggest Fernando Mendoza Concern
During Wednesday’s segment of “The Herd,” Fox Sports analyst Urban Meyer confessed his initial reservations about Mendoza’s NFL-readiness, while expressing concerns about his ultimate destination in the league.
“I spent so much time with Mendoza. I covered him with Big Noon, I got to know him, I talked to him,” Meyer said. “Mid-year, Todd McShay and I both said that this guy needs to come back for another year, he’s not ready and then he went on a magical run. He’s more than ready. I compare him to Drake Maye. I just think that the guy is a coach on the field.
“The best version of Mendoza we’ve not seen yet. I just love this kid. Like all first picks in the draft, you’re gonna go with the Raiders. Mark Ingram made a comment that that’s the worst pro football team he’s ever seen. My worry is, he gets stuck on a really bad team and then he’s labeled a bust, which I can’t stand. QBs on bad teams are not busts.”
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Last season, veteran quarterback Geno Smith struggled behind a leaky Raiders offensive line, finishing the season with 19 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, and 55 sacks, before coach Pete Carroll was fired at the end of a woeful 3-14 season.
Mendoza’s Projected Move to the Raiders Blasted
Meyer is not the only analyst to raise concerns about Mendoza’s fit with the Raiders. During Monday’s segment of “The Herd,” analyst Colin Cowherd expressed concerns about the former Hoosiers quarterback being impacted by the Raiders’ organizational issues.
“I don’t worry about Fernando Mendoza; I worry about the Raiders as his parent in this league. Bottom line, even if Klint Kubiak is a good coach, he’ll probably be the fourth-best coach in his division, and ownership is impulsive and ridiculously impatient. I don’t have a Mendoza issue; I have a Mendoza to the Raiders issue.”
“Who picks you matters a lot. I think it’s an interesting red flag. Here’s the thing: Caleb (Williams) may have struggled, but Caleb is an insane athlete. Mendoza is not even an Andrew Luck athlete.”
Mendoza distinguished himself as the best quarterback in college football last season, earning a PFSN College QB Impact score of 93.3. He tallied 3,535 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, while adding 276 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns.
