48 hours before the start of the 2026 NFL Draft, presumptive No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza threw out the first pitch at a Miami Marlins baseball game. He didn't exactly impress fans with his first public display of his arm in a while.
Video of the pitch shows Mendoza arching the ball and tossing it well outside the strike zone, forcing outfielder Kyle Stowers to stand up so he could get it.
While not nearly as bad as some first pitches that have bounced well away from the plate entirely, a number of NFL fans quickly became concerned by his inability to throw the ball straight.
"I'm a Mendoza guy but thank god I'm not a GM because I would take this throw into consideration," Marty Mush of Barstool Sports remarked on X last night.
A problem?
NFL fans that saw the video were similarly unimpressed by the throw itself, and while some said it was concerning, many dismissed it by pointing out that Mendoza throws footballs, not baseballs, and said that it has no bearing on anything.
"Thank god in Sept he will be throwing a football and nfl fans don’t have to worry how the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft will be throwing a BASEBALL. Thank goodness that’s settled," one user remarked.
"Always comped him as Matt Ryan. I take everything back," wrote another.
"Definitely not a multi-sport athlete growing up," a third joked.
"He took zero risk of becoming a meme."
© Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It's not like Mendoza went out there with the intention of throwing a 98 mph fastball. He just wanted to get the ball across the plate. On that front, mission accomplished.
We've truly reached that period where we simply need the NFL Draft to happen. People are getting so stir-crazy from a lack of NFL events happening that they're making up things to get worried about whole cloth.
