The Raiders drafted Fernando Mendoza to be their quarterback of the future. The No. 1 overall pick has been “as advertised” thus far, coach Klint Kubiak said Wednesday.
“[He has] not disappointed,” Kubiak said, via Ryan McFadden of ESPN. “He’s working his tail off. It’s very important to him that he asks a lot of great questions when he gets on the field. He’s no B.S.; he’s all ball.”
The Raiders are easing Mendoza into the offense, with Kirk Cousins taking first-team reps, followed by Aidan O’Connell and then Mendoza.
Kubiak has repeatedly said he would prefer that a rookie quarterback not start Day 1, and the sportsbooks like Cousins to start Week 1. But the Raiders are giving Mendoza every chance to win the job.
Mendoza is going the extra mile, putting in the work, asking questions and taking notes.
“Anything that you put in front of him, he’s going to attack it,” Kubiak said. “Anything new, he spends extra time on. You can tell he fixes things from one day to the next.”
