NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Fernando Mendoza is preparing for his first season in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders selected Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft after he led the Indiana Hoosiers to an undefeated 2025 season and a national championship. While Mendoza added the Heisman Trophy to his list of incredible accomplishments last year, he still has a lot to learn when it comes to being an NFL player.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko talks with quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins during minicamp at the Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson, Nev., on June 9, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Mendoza recently shared some of the advice Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has lent him in his first two months with Las Vegas.
“I think what he said as a quarterback is you have to be the most everything. You have to be the most competitive. You have to be the most leader. You have to have the most leadership,” he said via the Raiders’ YouTube page.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Raiders minority owner Tom Brady yells encouragement to players during the first half of a Raiders training camp mock game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Aug. 2, 2025. (LE Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
“You have to be the toughest, both mentally and physically. And you have to embody all of those things and lead by example before you get that fairness and respect from your teammates to lead effectively.”
Mendoza also wants Kirk Cousins to lean on in certain situations, though the veteran quarterback doesn’t see his relationship as a mentor-mentee situation.
“I think it’s a little bit of a stretch to say I’m mentoring them, probably more of a narrative than it is the truth,” Cousins said last week, via The Athletic. “They are quite good players and quite experienced and I also learn a lot from them and ask them questions.”
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders, attends a news conference at Raiders headquarters in Henderson, Nev., on April 24, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
It’s unclear if Mendoza will be the Week 1 starter. Cousins has proven to have some left in the tank to play. He signed a two-year, $12.6 million deal with the Raiders in the offseason.
