Fernando Mendoza's First Thoughts on Raiders Rookie Minicamp
The Las Vegas Raiders used the first overall pick to draft their next face of the franchise quarterback. It's been a revolving door of quarterbacks for the Raiders since Derek Carr left, but Fernando Mendoza projects to be their starter for the foreseeable future.
Kirk Cousins was brought onto the team in free agency to give time for Mendoza to sit on the bench and not to be thrown into the fire as the team's immediate starter. The Raiders' rookie minicamp is underway, and this time is important for Mendoza to get settled in with the rest of his rookie teammates.
Rookie Minicamp
Fernando Mendoza working on play action at Raiders Rookie Minicamp.
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Klint Kubiak's offseason moves clearly show the Raiders are looking to run the ball next season. Mendoza's practice of play-action passes shows where Kubiak's head is at as an offense-minded head coach.
This is why it's so important for Kubiak and Mendoza to get on the same page now, when there's no pressure of the regular season. Mendoza spoke after day two of the Raiders' rookie minicamp, sharing what he's learned over the past two days.
Mendoza's Thoughts
"It was good to be at a high altitude, get the plays down the base, because you can be learning on a sheet of paper. said Mendoza. "We have Coach Janocko, Coach Kubiak, and, in my case, Coach Sullivan, repping it, gettin' on our butts about it".
As part of Kubiak's move over from the Seattle Seahawks, Mendoza gets to train with the man responsible for helping them win the Super Bowl. Coach Janocko worked directly with Sam Darnold in the best season of his career; that's a powerful coaching tandem to kick off Mendoza's rookie campaign. They will boost his development by a wide margin.
"[They have been] improving us, improving the entire offense, every single day. It's been great. From day one to day two, I think we saw a lot of improvement in everybody, including myself".
Improvement is all the Raiders need to strive for next season. Everyone wants to see them win more than three games next season, but more importantly than the win-loss total is that Mendoza is slowly improving every week.
Play-action will be an easy way to get Mendoza in a rhythm. Pair that with the players he's starting to build camaraderie with, and the Raiders are building relationships that could hold up a dynasty.
The Raiders are making all the right decisions regarding Mendoza's development to ensure a successful future.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi as Fernando Mendoza's First Thoughts on Raiders Rookie Minicamp.
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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 6:00 AM.