When the 2026 NFL Draft begins in two months and the Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick, there isn’t expected to be much mystery about who they’ll be selecting.
The Raiders are in desperate need of a quarterback, and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is considered the clear QB1 in an otherwise shaky quarterback class. Mendoza is the heavy favorite to go first overall in April, and if that comes to fruition, he’ll be tasked with leading a major turnaround in Las Vegas.
While the Raiders and general manager John Spytek have a lot of work to do to provide Mendoza with the necessary support around him on the roster, one thing Mendoza would have is an all-time great as a mentor in Raiders minority owner Tom Brady. Mendoza sat down with CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis and explained what he’d be most excited to learn from Brady if he ends up in Vegas.
“I would say his system and his discipline,” Mendoza said. “The way he has a system — the TB12 Method. I’ve already read the book. Everything that he’s all about is something that I’ve always emulated as a football player. And anything the coaching staff has as coaching points, like, ‘Hey Fernando, we need you to get better at this, this and that,’ I’m gonna be like, ‘Hey Tom, how do I get better at this, this and that?’ If I get selected by Mr. Spytek and the Raiders. If that does happen, it’d be a great opportunity. But any team I get drafted by, I look forward to utilizing their former quarterbacks as well.”
Mendoza understands that the separator at the quarterback position is preparation by being both mentally prepared in the film room and physically prepared by taking care of your body. It often takes young players some time to fully embrace the totality of that physical preparation. It’s not just getting in the weight room, but also eating right and doing the necessary recovery work that allows you to have a long career.
No one did that better than Brady, and Mendoza wants to pick his brain about how to lay that foundation early in his career. From there, it seems clear Mendoza won’t be shy in trying to learn as much on the field and in the film room as he can from Brady, noting the seven-time Super Bowl champion and current Raiders owner will be his first call when the Raiders’ staff gives him things to improve on.
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