Poised, efficient and surgical: all traits Fernando Mendoza carried with him into his pro day. From the opening throw, Mendoza’s talent was on full display as he had no issue connecting with his pass catchers on various routes. While it remains to be seen if he is capable of turning the Las Vegas Raiders into a formidable contender with so many other glaring needs, he is still very much worthy of the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft.

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Recapping Fernando Mendoza's Pro Day

The Good From Fernando Mendoza's Pro Day

A Heisman winner and National Champion, Mendoza’s arm talent was never in question during his time with the Indiana Hoosiers. A sniper in the pocket, Mendoza is terrific at limiting the amount of Havoc in his throws by placing the ball where only his pass catcher can get it, keeping them on their front foot to help accelerate after the catch.

Even if the reps during his pro day were the equivalent of a layup line at best, it was still impressive to see Mendoza consistently hit his pass catchers in the strike zone. His only incompletion was also to no fault of his own, a dropped ball that hit his target square in the number.

Mendoza’s performance on Wednesday mirrored what he was able to do last season, finishing his 2025 campaign by completing 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns. If the Raiders re-tooled offensive line can hold their ground in pass sets, then Mendoza will be able to keep them ahead of the sticks by picking apart opposing gaps in coverage with his pinpoint accuracy.

The Bad From Fernando Mendoza's Pro Day

Even though nothing alarming stuck out in his pro day, there are still question marks hanging over Mendoza heading into the NFL Draft. Mainly regarding how he will extend plays after going through his primary reads. While Curt Cignetti’s structured system helped set him up for success in college, Mendoza’s middling running ability will not carry him nearly as far at the next level.

Mendoza also did not have to deal with too many collapsing pockets, allowing him to stay within the system and let his plays develop. When forced to make an improvised decision, Mendoza has at least shown he is willing to kill the play rather than make an ill-advised throw, keeping drives alive instead of potentially flipping the field with a back-breaking turnover.

Per Matthew Freedman, Mendoza is more of a Matt Leinart than a Joe Burrow, giving the Raiders a serviceable quarterback who still has a ways to go with his development. While Mendoza will certainly not hurt their rebuild, it’s no guarantee he accelerates it. Especially with the Raiders pass catchers underwhelming on paper, potentially putting too much pressure on him to make the play himself which could potentially stall out his development.

How To Bet On Fernando Mendoza In The NFL Draft

Depending on what he is listed at, Mendoza may be an intriguing pick to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Even though it’s normally unwise to target the favorite in a very volatile market, this is more of a fade of his competition, who are expected to rival him at the top of the odds board. 

Assuming chalk holds and Carnell Tate goes to the Cleveland Browns, it’s hard to imagine how he will match Mendoza’s output in an anemic offense. Jeremiyah Love, on the other hand, may find himself running behind a Tennessee Titans offensive line that actually graded out well in True Run Block Grade, yet Cam Ward’s inability to stretch out the secondary will allow opposing defenses to stack the box, lessening the width of his running lanes.

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