Two things will happen if — but probably when — the Las Vegas Raiders draft Fernando Mendoza. It feels like a sure thing that we’ll see the Indiana quarterback step onto the stage at the 2026 NFL Draft to accept a Raiders jersey as the No. 1 overall pick.
Danny Hernandez, Mendoza’s private quarterback coach, is sure of what will happen next.
The first inevitability is that Mendoza will reach out to Tom Brady, the Raiders’ part owner.
“If I know Fernando the way I know Fernando, Tom Brady is probably going to have a separate phone for Fernando alone, because he is going to wear that relationship out,” Hernandez told me this week. “He is going to try to get as much information that he possibly can from Tom Brady, you know? And if Tom is going to be as hands-on as I’m hoping he is, that’s going to be a great relationship.”
Danny Hernandez, center, has coached Fernando Mendoza, right, and his brother, Alberto, since they were in high school. (Photo courtesy of Danny Hernandez)
It’s one comparison that everyone is afraid to make, because Brady is Brady, the greatest ever. But there are traits from Mendoza’s game that will remind folks of Brady. Mendoza is a pocket passer. Mendoza isn’t a world-beating athlete. And he’s a tough player who scouts had overlooked — until this year, when Mendoza forced them to pay attention by winning the national championship and the Heisman Trophy.
Brady and Mendoza were in touch last season. You can bet they’ll be in touch quite often if Mendoza ends up in Las Vegas.
“That’s going to be some really, really good mentorship,” Hernandez said of Brady and Mendoza. “Since he was a kid, [Mendoza was] a fan [of Brady] — just trying to do everything at the highest possible level. I mean, what better person could you learn from than Tom Brady? So, yeah, he’s gonna wear that relationship out. That’s for sure.”
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The second inevitability is that new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak will have an onslaught of questions to answer.
Mendoza is widely considered a pro-ready prospect because he ran a pro-style offense at Indiana. But of course, there hasn’t been a prospect in the history of the NFL who was ready on draft day. So Mendoza will get to work on his new playbook.
“He’s going to take a look at the tiniest little thing,” Hernandez told me by phone. “He’s going to be able to recognize from a footwork standpoint, ‘Hey, I noticed that when you guys run this particular play, your quarterback had his foot staggered just a little bit more this way than that way. Is there a reason?’ He’s going to want to know why. He’s going to practice it that exact way. That’s just the way he’s wired. So I think he’s going to be perfect for this.”
Hernandez knows what Mendoza is going to do, because they’ve worked together since the QB was a junior at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami. And Mendoza has asked Hernandez those types of questions — all the time — from Columbus to Cal to Indiana to now.
“If you’re around other people that truly have a joyful obsession over this position and all the little things that need to happen to really make you great, those super late-night phone calls or super early phone calls feel like a regular thing,” Hernandez told me.
It all adds up to somebody who will fit right in with the Raiders. It sounds like exactly the guy that GM John Spytek is looking for. In Indianapolis on Tuesday, Spytek fielded questions about what the team is seeking in a quarterback. And the GM essentially listed Mendoza’s qualities.
“A leader. Tough as hell. Somebody that loves to play football. Maniacal preparer. Obviously, someone that can throw the ball well. I think just somebody that loves the game and will give everything for their teammates,” Spytek told reporters at the Indianapolis Convention Center. “There’s a great humility and selflessness required to play that position at the highest level.”
This isn’t to say that Mendoza won’t have obstacles to overcome.
He isn’t the elite athlete that Josh Allen is. He doesn’t have the super powerful Avengers arm like Patrick Mahomes. He isn’t the raw, high-upside prospect we’re accustomed to seeing go at No. 1. And even though Indiana ran a pro-style system, Mendoza didn’t take that many snaps under center — which Spytek indirectly joked about. The GM fielded a question about the hardest part of evaluating college quarterbacks.
“If they can take a snap from under center right now,” he said with a smile.
There are many, many, many things that are complicated about the NFL Draft. This year, there’s one thing that’s really not all that tricky.
It’s matching Mendoza and the Raiders at No. 1.
As Hernandez said, it’s perfect.
