Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza reveals mom’s message during draft that ‘broke’ him

It’s officially official: Fernando Mendoza is a member of the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s been an open secret heading into the 2026 NFL Draft that Las Vegas was going to take the Indiana quarterback. Now, Mendoza’s dream of making it to the pros has come true, and he’ll be playing in one of the oldest organizations in the NFL.

It surely is a surreal moment for Mendoza. After the pick was announced, Mendoza was interviewed by the media. During the interview, the new Raiders quarterback revealed the moment that he “broke”. The quarterback said that his mom’s message for him after the pick was announced moved him deeply.

“Heard my mom say, ‘I’m so proud of you’ and that kind of broke me there,” Mendoza said via Zoom, per Levi Edwards of NFL.com.

Mendoza burst onto the college football scene out of the blue. After a solid 2024 season under Curt Cignetti, the Indiana quarterback became the best player in the nation last year. He methodically led the Hoosiers to an undefeated season, capped off by winning the College Football Playoff and capturing Indiana’s first national title. Mendoza, for his efforts, was awarded the Heisman Trophy. His composure, accuracy, and processing enticed the Raiders to take him first overall.

Even after being drafted first overall, Mendoza still believes that he’s an underdog. “Although the draft was today …. although I was picked today one out of 32 – I’m not one out of 32 quarterbacks at this moment,” he said. “So, I need to work every single day possible, because I’m on the bottom of the totem pole.”

Mendoza is expected to start on the bench this year in favor of veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. This will help the young quarterback acclimate to the NFL environment and learn the intricacies of coach Klink Kubiak’s offense without the pressure of winning games yet.

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