The No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza, has the Mr. Nice Guy reputation, but according to the former Indiana Hoosiers star, that narrative isn’t absolute.
“Although I’ve come off as very humble, and pretty fuzzy and warm, at the end of my Indiana career, when you have that equity, you’re able to be like No. 4 [Brett Favre] and No. 12 [Aaron Rodgers]. Should you ask my teammates … I wasn’t at all times a pleasant man, I used to be an a-hole generally as a result of I wished everybody to do their one-eleventh, everybody to do their job, maintain everybody to a excessive normal,” Mendoza stated in an interview with the Raiders’ team website.
“Nonetheless, coming into a brand new group, ranging from the underside of the totem pole, I imagine that management is earned, not given.”
After spending the primary three seasons of his collegiate profession with the California Golden Bears (2022-24), Mendoza transferred to Indiana for the 2025 college football season, and the remaining is historical past. In a season that noticed Indiana win its first Nationwide Championship in program historical past — and go 16-0 within the course of — Mendoza totaled 3,535 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and a 182.9 passer ranking, whereas finishing 72.0% of his passes. He led the Big Ten in passing touchdowns and passer ranking, serving to Mendoza win the 2025 Heisman Trophy and Massive Ten Offensive Participant of the 12 months honors; he additionally rushed for 276 yards and 7 touchdowns.
For what it is value, Mendoza has dropped a number of F-bombs because the Nationwide Championship, doing so in a postgame interview after the title triumph and in entrance of a group of Raiders fans after being drafted.
As for Mendoza’s new teammates, he has operating again Ashton Jeanty (the No. 6 decide within the 2025 NFL Draft) by his facet within the backfield, with star tight finish Brock Bowers — who was an All-Professional in his 2024 rookie marketing campaign — and vast receivers Tre Tucker (he totaled a team-high 696 receiving yards in 2025) and Jack Bech (2025 second-rounder) to focus on within the passing recreation.
Plus, whereas the Raiders largely doled out their cash on protection in free company (e.g., Kwity Paye, Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, Eric Stokes and Malcolm Koonce), they did signal middle and three-time Professional Bowler Tyler Linderbaum (three-year, $81 million deal) and vast receiver Jalen Nailor (three-year, $35 million deal), amongst different gamers. In the meantime, Mendoza must beat out veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, who signed a two-year, $12.6 million cope with the Raiders, for the beginning job.
