Tag Archives: Fernando Mendoza

What Constitutes A 1st Round Selection?

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The 2026 NFL Draft is upon us and most of the speculation has faded as who will be the #1 overall pick. Dan Orlovsky is catching flack for his take on ESPN that Ty Simpson is a better pro prospect for Klint Kubiak’s system to be installed in Vegas.

Look at the fallout we have from last year watching Shedeur Sanders fall from the 1st round and hearing in white conservative circles he didn’t belong in the 1st round. When clearly most pundits had him being drafted there.

Truth of the matter is 1st round selections when it comes to quarterback is a crapshoot like any other position. For every Patrick Mahomes (2018), you have a Mitch Trubisky. Or last year with Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, and Shedeur. Or more famously 1998 Peyton Manning & Ryan Leaf. ’99 Donovan McNabb & Tim Couch. What about ’93 with Drew Bledsoe vs Rick Mirer. It came down to who you wanted to see behind center or the intangibles you felt a young signal caller would bring to your team.

Yet looking at the comparison above you’d think it would be a cake walk with Shedeur’s stats but the NFL game is a different beast. I championed his being given a fair chance to play. He has to beat out DeShaun Watson and impress a new coach to seal the starting position. With Mendoza he will have to come in and learn with Kirk Cousins how to play under center as well as the shotgun. He may not start in year 1 until late unless they come out struggling after the 1st 5 games.

One aspect is how fast will he be able to learn to play from center. Turning his back to the defense to fake the handoff to Ashton Jeanty then turn and fire on time. This was one of Orlovsky’s points and there have been several QBs who have struggled with this nuance in the NFL vs their college days. Its taken Justin Herbert & Trevor Lawrence time to really get the timing down on this and are still works in progress. Hell Shedeur is having to deal with it in Cleveland after an up & down year. Trust me a rookie with 5 pass plays under center.

Caleb Williams is still working on his footwork from Center in Chicago with HC Ben Johnson. So this claim isn’t without merit and a rookie Mendoza will have to make this transition to work in the NFL. Is he a clear can’t miss 1st rounder?? I answered that in my last article.

Las Vegas Raiders you’re on the clock…

How Sold Are You on Fernando Mendoza?

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Every year before the draft there are a handful of players pundits debate if their worth a 1st round pick. This year Fernando Mendoza has dominated conversation with fans and online communities in this aspect as the Raiders are set to take him 1st overall. College “feel good” stories come to die in the NFL and I don’t see him as a 1st overall selection.

That is rarified air where a team is hoping to land a future Hall of Famer not just a serviceable QB. You get those in the late 2nd or even the 3rd round which is what Mendoza’s play suggests. Yes he won the National Championship but so did Matt Lienart, Ken Dorsey, Stetson Bennett (who), Mac Jones, & JJ McCarthy. Bennett sits behind reigning MVP Matt Stafford with the Rams. Jones is on his 3rd team and 2nd string to Brock Purdy who just signed a $265 million deal, and McCarthy is a lame duck behind freshly signed Kyler Murray & Carson Wentz. He may not make the opening day roster in Minnesota.

I threw in Lineart & Dorsey as both were coming off back to back college championship visits and both had 34 consecutive wins just snapped in title games. So if you want to start with the he’s played so many college games as a defense… and lets face it: Did you know the Hoosiers won with 47 guys over the age of 23? He was on a well coached team that was 4 years older than many of the kids they faced in college. That won’t happen in the NFL. He ran an offense that was not sophisticated and his mechanics have to improve.

Its one of the reasons the Raiders signed Kirk Cousins who undoubtedly will be the opening day starter.

The Raiders had a tremendous offseason fortifying the defense and put themselves on a collision course where they have to take him #1 overall. If they fortify the line in the draft, Ashton Jeanty will break out and this is an 8 win team and drafting a QB next year #1 won’t be an option.

Mendoza does provide hope and he will be a serviceable starter. In the NFL Linebackers are 1 1/2 steps faster than their collegiate counterparts. The plodding runs you watched with Mendoza in college will lead to his getting hit and he has to be eased into the pro game. Hence the Cousins signing. His play projects to the NFL most reminiscent of Andy Dalton in Cincinnati. On a talented team he can make enough plays for a few playoff runs. Winning a Super Bowl? I don’t see that dynamic a QB.

Indiana and Mendoza caught lightning in a jug with a team old enough they should have been 2nd year NFL players. I’m sold on Mendoza being an average pro quarterback, nothing more.