The Las Vegas Raiders made a potentially franchise-altering decision when they selected Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall in this past April's NFL Draft. Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy and guided the Hoosiers to a National Championship, has started to get acclimated to practicing and playing with his teammates through weeks of training camp practices and several preseason appearances. On Tuesday, new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak gave his honest assessment of the rookie's first experience at training camp and gave a unique perspective on it all.
"I’d say it’s his first one. It’s baptism by fire every day at all positions, especially rookie quarterbacks," Kubiak told reporters, adding, "So I see a rookie player who keeps improving who we just gotta keep being hard on." More news: Baker Mayfield Calls out Buccaneers After Joint Practice With Jaguars In addition to gaining valuable experience through the training camp, Mendoza appeared on the field in two of the Raiders' preseason games. His first outing was a better overall performance, albeit in a loss, with the rookie later saying he let his teammates down on certain plays.
He went 10 of 16 completions for 97 yards and a touchdown in the 27-14 preseason loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Mendoza's second preseason appearance had a few more mistakes, as the Houston Texans players capitalized on the well-known rookie, with an interception for a touchdown and sacking him for a loss of 11 yards. The Raiders got the win as other quarterbacks played and helped the cause.
Mendoza comes in having shown elite talent in his final season of college football and immediately drew praise from many as the best available quarterback. Having a vote of confidence from minority Raiders owner Tom Brady is always a good thing, and Mendoza had that as he was drafted. Still, it might take him a while to really adjust to the differences between playing against college teams and players versus the professionals in the NFL, some of whom have been honing their crafts for many, many seasons.
The Raiders host the San Francisco 49ers at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night for their final preseason game, which will further audition any personnel that Kubiak and his staff need to evaluate. Kirk Cousins is still the strong favorite to become the Raiders' starting quarterback in Week 1.
They'll take on the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 at home, with odds suggesting Mendoza might get to start as QB at the halfway point of the Raiders' season. More news: Josh Allen Gives Honest Assessment of Bills Coach Joe Brady Ahead of Season For more about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL, visit Newsweek Sports.
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