What Fernando Mendoza said about game-changing adjustment from Indiana dominance

The Las Vegas Raiders got a lot better during the 2026 NFL Draft. Las Vegas added playmakers on both sides of the ball, giving the team all they’ll need to make a big leap in 2026. But one Raiders rookie will need to make a big adjustment from how he dominated during college.

Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza needs to adjust to playing under center after taking many of his snaps from the shotgun during his collegiate career. Mendoza spoke about that big change during Raiders rookie minicamp.

“It’s the added footwork. Instead of being back there in shotgun, you really have to get back to make sure you get depth,” Mendoza said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “Still be on time, still decipher the defense. And with that, it’s really having an emphasis on those first two steps, on securing the snap and getting out out of there and powerful with having quick feet.”

Mendoza played almost exclusively from the shotgun while at Indiana. But that will not fly in Klint Kubiak’s offensive system. It will be the first big adjustment for the rookie quarterback before training camp.

Thankfully, Mendoza is clearly willing to put in the work. He even gathered his teammates at his hotel room on Friday night to take additional snaps from under center.

“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 added per Paul Gutierrez of Raiders.com.

Mendoza wants to take advantage of every opportunity to get better this offseason. He is even planning on skipping Indiana’s White House visit to prepare for OTAs, which start on May 18th.

Hopefully all of this extra preparation helps Mendoza have an excellent rookie season later this fall.

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