INDIANAPOLIS — While many college football players find the NFL draft preparation exhausting, Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza has taken a different approach.
The quarterback has welcomed every aspect of the lengthy process, from team interviews to workout sessions, maintaining his characteristic optimism as Thursday night’s draft approaches. Mendoza is widely expected to be selected with the first overall pick.
Speaking Monday, the former Indiana Hoosiers star said he’s valued the extended evaluation period as he prepares to begin his professional football career, whether that means joining the Las Vegas Raiders to work behind Kirk Cousins or landing with another franchise.
“It’s been long, but it’s been great because a job interview usually is a couple of weeks or even a single day in the office, but this job interview has been a couple of months,” Mendoza explained to The Associated Press. “The teams know everything about you, and that’s been my favorite part. They can peel back the layers and see the true you. It’s been great to test my football IQ, my football knowledge.”
Teams that have evaluated Mendoza appear to have found few concerns with the standout quarterback.
On Monday, Mendoza and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer revealed a new collaboration making him a spokesperson for early cancer detection efforts. The partnership appears fitting given his personal connection to the cause — someone close to him has fought cancer, his mother continues battling multiple sclerosis, and his father works as a physician.
The campaign, titled Every Breakthrough Matters, will feature two advertisements airing Thursday evening, with Mendoza indicating plans for potential expansion into other health initiatives.
However, football remains Mendoza’s primary focus, though he’s keeping quiet about any inside knowledge regarding the Raiders’ intentions.
The Boston native has conducted three separate meetings with Las Vegas representatives since guiding Indiana to their inaugural national championship in January. He also had the opportunity to meet his childhood hero, Raiders part-owner Tom Brady, who attended the title game to observe Mendoza firsthand.
Additional conversations have taken place with the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Cleveland Browns, organizations holding the second, third, and sixth selections respectively and potentially seeking a new starting quarterback.
Mendoza dismissed speculation that he’s been learning Las Vegas’s offensive system, clarifying that rumors began after he sought assistance from former NFL quarterback and coach Brian Griese to prepare for professional concepts. Both men are alumni of Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School, though from different eras.
“We knew each other and I reached out to him and said ‘Hey, I’ve got to get ready for this. I don’t care what my Pro Day looks like, I just want to help my guys on Pro Day and I want to be the best quarterback come September, can you help me with this?’” Mendoza recalled. “He (played) in the West Coast offense so we were able to install a lot of West Coast concepts, just general concepts and under center concepts every single team runs.”
For draft night itself, Mendoza plans a more intimate celebration.
Rather than attending the ceremony in Pittsburgh, he’ll remain in Miami surrounded by family and supporters who have been instrumental in his journey, including his younger brother Alberto.
“I’ve done so much traveling this year, it’s a lot easier for my mom and her health is at the forefront,” Mendoza explained. “We need to hop on a plane the next day for whatever team drafts me and to be there with the village that’s poured into me — friends, family, coaches, mentors — to be there with all of them and to share the start of this NFL journey, it’s going to create the best memory for our family.”
