Fernando Mendoza Admits He's Not 'Always' A Nice Guy

Don't let his humble personality fool you, Fernando Mendoza isn't afraid to be a stern leader on the gridiron. Mendoza was the unquestioned No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 draft class after he led Indiana to a national title. The Heisman Trophy winner completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards with ...

by Chris Rosvoglou

Apr 30, 2026

Fernando Mendoza poses for the Raiders.

Don't let his humble personality fool you, Fernando Mendoza isn't afraid to be a stern leader on the gridiron.

Mendoza was the unquestioned No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 draft class after he led Indiana to a national title. The Heisman Trophy winner completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards with 41 touchdowns and six interceptions.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Las Vegas Raiders selected Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in last week's draft. He'll now get to run an offense designed by a Super Bowl-winning coach in Klint Kubiak.

"Whatever team was going to select me would be a good fit, but deep down, in my heart I knew the Raiders are most likely going to be the best fit because of the coaching staff," Mendoza said. "I think it really fits my play style great."

Fernando Mendoza participates in Indiana University's Pro Day at Mellencamp Pavilion on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

During his initial interview at the Raiders broadcast studio, Mendoza talked about his outlook in Las Vegas. He made it clear that he's not afraid to shed his "nice guy" persona.

"If you ask my teammates . . . I wasn’t always a nice guy. I was an a-hole sometimes because I wanted everyone to do their one-eleventh, everyone to do their job, hold everyone to a high standard," Mendoza told Raiders.com. "However, coming into a new organization, starting from the bottom of the totem pole, I believe that leadership is earned, not given."

Mendoza isn't a lock to immediately start for the Raiders.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Raiders might not start Mendoza at the beginning of the 2026 season. They could lean on Kirk Cousins, who agreed to a deal with Las Vegas that'll pay him $20 million in guaranteed money.

"Do not expect Mendoza to play early. The most likely scenario for the Raiders [is] Kirk Cousins is their starting quarterback to begin this season," Rapoport said. "Klint Kubiak believes that is the way to have long-term success, so likely Cousins early and hopefully throughout the season."

If all goes well, Cousins could help Mendoza the way Alex Smith mentored Patrick Mahomes on the Kansas City Chiefs.