Fernando Mendoza likely joining rare club for No. 1 overall picks
Fernando Mendoza is on track to begin his NFL career behind Kirk Cousins. Just how rare is it for a No. 1 overall pick to open the season as a backup?
Sports Seriously
HENDERSON, NV – Compete with, not against.
That sounds like some sort of company line coming from Fernando Mendoza, the undisputed franchise quarterback of the future for the Las Vegas Raiders as he cuts his teeth during his rookie NFL training camp.
Yes, Kirk Cousins, 37 and counting, entered camp as QB1 and the Raiders brain trust has done a masterful job in easing pressure on the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback drafted No. 1 overall by lowering expectations for an immediate ascent. That’s a sound approach – for now.
And Mendoza is flowing with it accordingly.
“The entire quarterback room, we’re all trying to bring each other’s standards up,” Mendoza said during his first camp press conference on July 30.
Fair enough. Even with the elephant in the quarterback room existing with the one that led Indiana – yes, Indiana! – to the national title. I mean, if Mendoza can do that with the Hoosiers, anything – like a Raiders revival – is possible. Just give it time. The QBs, remember, are competing together with no time for controversy. Even Aidan O’Connell, the No. 3, sang a similar chorus.
It’s catchy. The franchise may have been lost in a Black Hole for decades now, but still, no NFL operation has given us pointed messaging that sticks over the decades quite like the Raiders.
Just win, baby! (Hasn’t been happening much lately, but it still sounds good. Al Davis nailed that one.)
Commitment to Excellence. (See explanation above.)
Once a Raider, Always a Raider (True, they’ve got a robust alumni group.)
OK, even in the ultra-competitive environment of the NFL, the with-not-against theme coming from the QB Room also represents an ideal approach for a man who surely doesn’t miss a beat with his messaging. Mendoza’s humility undoubtedly sets a foundation for the leadership that will be expected of him as he ascends.
“I’m taking a ‘following’ role with these veteran leaders,” Mendoza said, mindful of a group that not only includes Cousins, but also Maxx Crosby and Tyler Linderbaum. “I’m just trying to do my part and focus on the next rep.”
So, hold off on pitting the rookie against the crafty vet.
Raiders breaking No. 1 QB trend
Still, the Raiders – who have talked for months about not needing the rookie to start immediately – are bucking a trend with this. If Mendoza doesn’t open the season as the starter, he would become the first quarterback drafted No. 1 overall to enter Week 1 a backup since Baker Mayfield took a backseat for the Browns early in the 2018 season.
The past six No. 1 overall QBs – Cam Ward, Caleb Williams, Bryce Young, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Kyler Murray – started in Week 1 as rookies.
Why is that not the best option for Mendoza, who will have to take his lumps eventually?
“Number one, I think you owe it to the roster, to not have to play the rookie quarterback early,” Raiders rookie coach Klint Kubiak told USA TODAY Sports. “But if he earns it, that’s a whole different…”
Kubiak’s words trailed off before he added, “The other thing is that you’re playing the long game.”
Don’t think the Raiders needed to sell the idea of a slow-yet-steady approach to Mendoza as they prepared to select him at the top of the NFL Draft in April.
“I was just honest with him and told him what we were doing,” Kubiak said. “And I didn’t ask how he felt about it.”
Just when, baby?
Kubiak and Raiders GM John Spytek also haven’t put a timetable on specifically when Mendoza might take over the starting role. If not Week 1, could it happen in Week 4 or would it shift in Week 10? Just when, baby?
“Right now, we’re committed to our process,” Spytek said after the first camp practice. “But I walk in every day thinking, ‘What’s going to happen today?’ You’re kind of asking, ‘What do you predict will happen?’ I don’t know. I know we have a plan and plans change. In fact, I anticipate they will change. It might not be with Fernando, it could be someone else. We’ll see.
“We said the best guy for the team will play. Right now, that’s Kirk. Someday, it will be Fernando. I don’t know when it will be. We’re committed to Kirk being the guy until something happens.”
Maybe rapid development by Mendoza becomes that something. He may not be positioned to directly compete against Cousins – at least not yet – but all along he will be measured by how well he digests Kubiak’s system and other nuances.
In other words, Mendoza’s toughest competition might be the NFL learning curve. As nice as he sounds behind a podium, Mendoza didn’t get to this point without tapping an inner fire that fuels competitive juices.
“I fully expect Fernando to push and challenge, make it hard,” Spytek added. “That’s why we took him No. 1. That’s who he is. We still have to be mindful that we’re doing everything to win games and take care of our young quarterback. It’s so much bigger than him being ready to play. The whole team’s got to be ready for him to be the leader of it, too.”
Mendoza – who appeared poised enough during the first week of practices – undoubtedly senses some early growth. He is becoming increasingly comfortable with Kubiak’s system and has targeted fundamentals such as taking snaps from under center, which wasn’t part of his game in college.
Quick study
During the several weeks off before training camp, not only did he have the time to better digest the playbook, he dove into an assignment from quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan to review every single snap from OTAs. He rated components such as timing, footwork, progression reads and accuracy.
“Through that, I was able to see some common themes, common mishaps I’d have on certain concepts,” Mendoza said. “So, I was able to reflect on them throughout this summer, walk through them and now when I’m here in training camp, I’m able to, when I feel those urges come up, I’m able to kill them and make the right play, whether that’s a calculated shot down the field or whether that’s a checkdown.”
Of course, Mendoza has a great resource to help decipher it all in Cousins, the 15th year veteran whose typically upbeat persona and professionalism add layers to the notion that he might be the perfect mentor.
Cousins knows. When he broke into the NFL as a fourth-round pick with Washington in 2012 – in a draft class for the team that included Robert Griffin III – the team had a 10-year veteran, Rex Grossman, whose resume included playing in a Super Bowl with the Bears.
“I just felt like I needed to ask him everything I possibly could, maybe to the point of being annoying,” Cousins reflected. “I felt like having someone like that made a big difference for me in my career.”
Now he’s more than willing to give back. Mendoza raved about how Cousins’ knack for diagramming plays – and his tendency to sort play concepts into groups that easier to digest – helped him gain a better understanding of the system.
That’s what competing with and not against looks like.
“I still have a long way to go,” Mendoza said. “I feel more comfortable, but I am nowhere near where I need to be, especially with learning the playbook. I still need to go a lot longer and attack the playbook harder. So, ways away.”
It’s a matter of time, but that time is hardly now – especially as they compete with each other.
Follow Bell on X: @JarrettBell