Fernando Mendoza says he is “Open for Work” on his LinkedIn account, but are we sure he’s telling the truth?
Although we are still a few weeks away from April’s NFL Draft, the top quarterback in the country appears to already be getting ready for the 2026 season before even getting picked by a franchise.
On Friday, more news came out about Mendoza’s future, with it becoming clearer by the day that not only the Heisman Award winner will be going to the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 1 pick, but that he’s already learning their system.
NFL insider Daniel Jeremiah went on “The Pat McAfee Show” to discuss what he’s heard heading into the NFL Draft, along with a major update on Mendoza.
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“Fernando Mendoza is working with Brian Griese right now, “Jeremiah said. “It’s not so much that they’re working on footwork; they’re installing the Raiders offense. He’s full speed ahead. This is the same thing that happened with Burrow [and the Bengals]. You can use a lot of this time to learn the core verbage and concepts along with an offense.”
It doesn’t seem as if the Raiders are keeping it a secret on who they’re taking with the first overall pick. Minority Raiders owner Tom Brady has been at the forefront of analyzing Mendoza, as he was at the College Football Playoff final, where the Indiana Hoosiers QB led the team to a monumental title victory over the Miami Hurricanes.
Mendoza might be ready to lead the Raiders starting in week one of the new campaign, but that isn’t the direction Las Vegas is currently leaning.
Las Vegas wants a veteran mentor for Mendoza to learn from for a year or two before taking over the franchise, which could be paramount if the youngster wants to succeed.
For the rest of March and early April, though, it appears Mendoza will continue learning the Raiders’ offense. He might not be donning the silver and black yet, but it seems like it’s a matter of when, not if, he will be wearing the Raiders uniform on the opening night of the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
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