The first thing Fernando Mendoza did after playing exceptionally in his NFL preseason debut Thursday night was thank God. Any long-suffering Las Vegas Raiders fan who watched the departure of the rookie first-round pick, preseason or not, would have similarly thanked God. Because the Raiders have something here. “First, I want to thank God and my teammates and coaches for allowing me the opportunity,” Mendoza told reporters. “Today was an exhilarating experience where there aren’t many moments where you feel completely alive, and on the field is when you feel completely alive, especially in the atmosphere of the NFL. FORMER NFL STAR CALLS FERNANDO MENDOZA ‘THE MOST COMPLETE PLAYER’ OF THE 2026 DRAFT” So I want to give thanks for that. It was great to get out there, get my feet wet… I think it was a good experience.” Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, selected with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders, attends a news conference at Raiders headquarters in Henderson, Nevada, on April 24, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Anyone who watched would know Mendoza played well, and if you didn’t, feel confident that his A rating 100.3 quarterback and a touchdown pass without a turnover in his almost three quarters of work was impressive. “As far as coming in and out of the huddle, commanding the group and calling the plays, I saw the same guy we’ve seen in practice,” coach Klint Kubiak said. “And this is where the temptation will be to overreact and start the discussion about Mendoza supplanting veteran Kirk Cousins as Las Vegas’ starter. That throw Mendoza made in the first half between two defenders downfield between the marks and the numbers was elite. It’s the kind of throw that demands opportunities in the regular season. But the Raiders will resist the temptation to make Mendoza run before he leaves. The Raiders hope to use Cousins as a starter unless something drastic happens NOW! and Kirk Cousins of the Las Vegas Raiders walk on a field during an OTA offseason workout at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson, Nevada, on June 3, 2026. (Getty Images) This is good, and it almost doesn’t feel like the Raiders. seasons. Remember that Jon Gruden had to resign in the middle of the season because of an email scandal. Remember that Henry Ruggs III was involved in a drunk driving accident that killed a woman and her dog. How do you think the Raiders were in a position to draft Mendoza? They have been a disaster, Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak speaks at an introductory press conference at the Intermountain Health Performance Center on February 10, 2026 in Henderson, Nevada (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images) A self-described nerd, Mendoza doesn’t come to the Strip because he’d rather follow the playbook. Even on Thursday night he talked about going home after the game and watching the tape even as the club’s minority owner, Tom Brady, was just warming up afterward and someone suggested afterward that Mendoza had a better debut. professional than Brady. That’s a fact, by the way. Back in 2000, Brady. It was where Mendoza is now and in his first NFL action that came midway through the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers’ reserves, Brady completed 3 of 4 passes for 28 yards on 17 otherwise forgettable plays Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak at a news conference in Henderson, Nevada, the. April 24, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Mendoza completed three times as many passes for more than three times as many yards with a touchdown pass. But there’s no arrogance coming from that, Mendoza mentioned that “Mr. Brady” spoke to the team the night before the game, and he said that as a former backup quarterback at UC Berkeley, that third player from long ago would never have imagined playing for a legacy Mendoza NFL franchise. “Overall, I felt like the group I was in, you know, they blocked fantastically, they ran great routes, the running game was good,” Mendoza said. “Unfortunately, I let my teammates down. “But it’s a growing experience. FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO Armando Salguero is OutKick’s senior NFL writer.
