Even Roger Goodell is impressed with Fernando Mendoza’s answers

The Las Vegas Raiders are entering a new era during the 2026 NFL season. Las Vegas added a new franchise quarterback in Fernando Mendoza during the 2026 NFL Draft to pair with head coach Klint Kubiak. One important NFL figure was quite impressed with Mendoza from the very moment he officially joined the league.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was clearly impressed with how Mendoza answered questions during draft coverage.

“This kid’s like a machine,” Goodell said on ESPN’s “The Pick Is In” documentary, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. “He definitely [has all the right answers], but he’s a genuine kid. It’s real.”

Goodell was commenting on Mendoza’s answers on the stage during draft night immediately after he was selected.

Mendoza has impressed a lot of people on his path to becoming the first overall pick. The Heisman Trophy winner put in a lot of hard work during the 2025 season, leading Indiana to an improbable national championship. Now Raiders fans are hopeful he can do the same for their organization.

But it may not be instant success for Mendoza in Las Vegas.

The Raiders have made it clear that Kirk Cousins could start in Week 1 despite Mendoza being the first overall pick. They want to give Mendoza as much time as he needs to adjust to the NFL before throwing him into the fire.

That adjustment could include more snaps under center, something that Mendoza rarely did in college.

“I feel really, coming out of this rookie minicamp, it’s going to be that repetition under center, getting those quicker feet and, just, you can always be faster and more efficient in your reads and decisiveness,” Mendoza said per Paul Gutierrez of Raiders.com.

It will be fascinating to track Mendoza’s progress throughout his rookie season in Las Vegas.

The post Even Roger Goodell is impressed with Fernando Mendoza’s answers appeared first on ClutchPoints.