Is Fernando Mendoza a lock to be drafted by the Raiders with the first-overall pick?
Based on comments from NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah on Friday, the Raiders haven’t just made up their mind on Mendoza… they already have him learning the playbook.
“Fernando Mendoza is working with Brian Griese right now and it’s not so much that they are working on foot work, they’re installing the Raiders offense,” Jeremiah said on the Pat McAfee Show.
“He’s full speed ahead,” Jeremiah continued. “This is the same thing that happened with [Joe] Burrow where you can use this time to really try and learn a lot of the core verbiage and concepts along with an offense. I’d be shocked, stunned, astonished if he’s not the first overall pick. I don’t see that going any other direction.”
Mendoza is Jeremiah’s top graded player in the 2026 draft and last month he shared what he believes is Mendoza’s best attribute as a quarterback.
“The best attribute that he has, to be honest with you, I’d say is his toughness,” Jeremiah said in February.
“I think if you go through and look at all these great quarterbacks over the years, I’ve always harped on poise being a big part of it. The Hall of Famers, I did a study a long time ago, and you see all different sizes. You’ll see different arm strength; you’ll see different athleticism. But they all had a poise to them, and that also has to do with the toughness,” Jeremiah continued.
“When you get drilled early in the game – as he did a couple times – and you don’t see any rattle to him at all, he locks back in. There’s a mental and a physical toughness to him that I think is going to serve him well. And I would imagine with Tom Brady in the building, as someone who had a reputation for both the mental and physical toughness, that those traits will be appreciated.”
x: @raidersbeat
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