Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza, selected first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, described the early days of his professional career as a “firehose” of information during his first rookie minicamp, as the Heisman Trophy winner begins what figures to be the most technically demanding transition of his football life: playing from under center in an NFL dropback offense.
Speaking with ESPN’s Ryan McFadden after Saturday’s practice, he described the volume of information coming his way as a “firehose.” “Instead of being back there in shotgun, we have to get back to make sure you best serve your offensive linemen, still be on time and still decipher the defense,” Mendoza said. “And with that, actually having an emphasis on those first two steps, on securing the snap and getting out of there, and powerful with having quick feet.”
The challenge is a real one. NFL.com reported that Mendoza took more snaps under center in rookie minicamp than he did in his entire college career. That is not a trivia note. It tells you exactly where the hardest stretch of his rookie development begins. Across his college career — including two seasons with California and one historic season leading Indiana to prominence — Mendoza operated almost exclusively out of the shotgun formation, taking just five snaps from under center.
Klint Kubiak’s West Coast offense heavily leans on under-center play-action, and the timing changes fundamentally when the quarterback works from behind the center rather than several yards deep in the shotgun. The head turn away from the defense, the altered footwork, and the necessity of staying on time without the benefit of seeing the defense from the outset all represent new demands on a player whose processing speed was cited as one of his greatest attributes coming out of college.
None of it appeared to rattle the 23-year-old. First impressions matter for any rookie, especially one carrying a franchise’s hopes, but nothing about Mendoza’s demeanor felt manufactured during his arrival at Raiders headquarters. He walked into the lobby to a standing ovation from the staff and team president Sandra Douglass Morgan, with his mother, father, aunt, and two younger brothers trailing behind him.
The Raiders addressed the bridge quarterback question before the draft, signing Kirk Cousins to serve as the veteran starter should Mendoza require additional development time. Cousins was candid about his role. “I honestly don’t want to start unless I’m the best option, and I told Klint that,” Cousins told reporters at his introductory press conference. “The best player should play. As long as that’s the case, I have no qualms about however it plays out.”
Of the 16 quarterbacks drafted at No. 1 overall in the past 20 years, every single one started in his rookie season. Of those 16, 12 of them started in Week 1. All of the past six first-overall quarterbacks have started in Week 1. Whether Mendoza continues that streak will depend on how efficiently he absorbs Kubiak’s system and how quickly the offense around him — built with Brock Bowers, a reconstructed offensive line, and a run-first framework — can provide him a foundation from which to operate. The Raiders’ investment in the No. 1 pick is clear. The timeline for his full deployment is not.
