Former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza revealed that he would attend the NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis, but would not participate in the drills. After a historic season with the Hoosiers, during which he led them to an unbeaten Big Ten and national championship double, Mendoza is expected to be the No. 1 pick on draft night.
In a quarterback class light on talent, Mendoza is a premium talent and has been mocked to be picked by the Las Vegas Raiders, who hold the No. 1 pick.
Analyst Points Out ‘Red Flags’ in Fernando Mendoza-to-Raiders Move
During Monday’s segment of “The Herd” show, Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd was concerned about the Raiders’ organizational issues affecting Mendoza’s success in the NFL.
“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 earned a PFSN College QB Impact score of 93.3 after tallying 3,535 passing yards, 41 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while adding 276 rushing yards and seven scores for the Hoosiers last season.
Draft Guru Has Unusual Suggestion for Raiders’ Mendoza Move
Most No. 1 draft picks in the NFL are named immediate starters for their teams in their rookie seasons, including the last three, Cam Ward, Caleb Williams, and Bryce Young, all being Week 1 starters. Fox Sports draft guru Rob Rang had an unusual suggestion for how the Raiders should handle Mendoza’s grace period as he settles into the league.
“Unlike recent No. 1 overall selections, Mendoza does not necessarily have to start immediately,” Rang wrote. “The Raiders, of course, still have veteran Geno Smith, who, like Mendoza, is a clean schematic fit in Kubiak’s offense.”
Rang added, “Smith’s presence should allow Kubiak and the Raiders the increasingly rare opportunity to truly prepare Mendoza for the NFL, rather than rush him onto the field. The Heisman Trophy winner and national champion has the prototypical build, all the intangibles, and enough physical traits to ultimately become a star in the NFL.”
Mendoza spent the first two seasons of his college football career as a player for the California Golden Bears before making the step up into Indiana coach Curt Cignetti’s high-powered offense and leading the Hoosiers to glory.
