Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza did not hesitate to tell the truth about a noticeable difference between college and the NFL
The Las Vegas Raiders lost their first preseason game on Thursday to the Arizona Cardinals, and Fernando Mendoza had a good game.
Fernando Mendoza played his first NFL game Thursday night, and the Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback delivered a promising performance that should have fans excited about the franchise’s future.
The No. 1 overall pick out of Indiana showed some early jitters before settling in and orchestrating an impressive second drive that ended with a touchdown.
The first drive didn’t go the way anyone would have drawn it up. A penalty derailed the opening series, and Mendoza looked like a quarterback taking his first snap in an NFL game. No matter what any quarterback tells you, there are going to be nerves for that first snap, even in preseason.
Then the second drive happened, and Mendoza settled in. He orchestrated it well, finding tight end Jack Bech in the end zone on a 6-yard slant for Bech’s first touchdown. It doesn’t count on any stat sheet because it’s preseason, but the execution was there. From that point on, Mendoza was pretty good. He fit a throw to wide receiver Malik Benson in a tight window between four defenders, showing the kind of accuracy that made him the top pick.
The speed of the NFL is real
There were some rough moments too. Mendoza took a hard hit because he didn’t get rid of the ball quickly enough. It looked like that might be the point where Raiders coach Klint Kubiak decided to pull him, having seen enough for one night. That play highlighted the learning curve between college and the NFL, something that gets talked about constantly in pro sports. The league is so much faster than college, and it’s not close.
All of the best players to ever play college football end up on 32 NFL rosters. The competition is tougher, the teams are better, the players are better, everything is harder. When Mendoza was asked about the difference in speed after the game, he had a moment in his press conference that was actually pretty funny. There was a play where he tried to get the edge and take off, but he wasn’t quite fast enough. Mobility has never been his calling card.
His response? “Wow, these guys are a lot faster.”
They are. But the encouraging part was watching Mendoza recognize that in real time and adapt. He figured out when he needed to get the ball out quicker because a defender was coming off the edge faster than the previous rusher. That kind of in-game processing is what separates the guys who make it from the guys who don’t.
Mendoza didn’t play like a rookie
The most impressive thing about Thursday’s performance was how few “rookie moments” Mendoza had. There were stretches where he looked like a veteran playing his first game of the season, just trying to get back into a rhythm. There wasn’t a single play where you watched and thought, “Yep, that’s a rookie play,” because he simply didn’t make those kinds of mistakes.
Now the focus shifts to the next two preseason games and a critical week of practice against the Houston Texans, who may have the best defense in the league. That will be a significant test for Mendoza’s development. Whether he starts getting more reps with the first-team offense will be worth monitoring closely.
What Thursday night confirmed is what the Raiders believed when they made Mendoza the No. 1 pick. He looks like the real deal, and it’s only a matter of time before he becomes the starting quarterback and the face of this franchise.
