The Las Vegas Raiders were front and center as all 32 NFL teams sent representative to Fernando Mendoza's pro day.
Former Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza put on a show during his pro day, with all 32 teams sending representatives to watch the spectacle, according to an AP report via ESPN. The Las Vegas Raiders were front and center, though, as they hold the key to Mendoza’s future with the top pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
Mendoza also had an ulterior motive, though, accordion to the report. He used his platform to potentially help his teammates improve their draft standing, and he certainly did nothing to hurt his own.
"I feel like it went great," Mendoza said after throwing the last of his 56 passes. "You know quarterbacks have passed, have done shorter pro days than that. However, I just wanted to make sure everybody could showcase their abilities in front of all 32 NFL teams and really run routes that are applicable to the timing we're going to be running in the NFL."
The quarterback covered all the necessary ground during his throwing session, throwing on the run all areas of the field while including short, medium and long passes. A few passes hit the ground, but the session was obviously designed to compensate for the fact that he didn’t throw at the recent NFL combine, and Mendoza didn’t do any drills.
He arrived at 236 pounds, according to the report, which was 11 pounds over his listed playing weight. He looked stronger and more capable of holding up under an NFL pass rush, but Mendoza also knows he’s far short of a finished product.
"I'm putting all of my efforts toward just trying to be the best quarterback possible for the season," he said. "But I know at the next level, there's going to be a lot more snaps under center, and that's a big adjustment. I need to get used to that and just the nature of the game. Not only that, the hash [marks] are more condensed and the speed of the game is faster. So, all those things I look forward to learning."
Mendoza is already reportedly learning the Raiders offense under the tutelage of former NFL Brian Griese, who’s a former colleague of new Raiders coach Klint Kubiak. He said he’s already met with the Raiders twice, once at the combine and again via video conference, and he has one more meeting scheduled before Las Vegas goes on the clock on April 23.
Kubiak has called Mendoza “a winner,” while Raiders owner Mark Davis commented that the Raiders have been here before with the top pick in the draft. Part of what Mendoza wanted to do today was commemorate his remarkable season at Indiana, and he was able to do that with many of his teammates as well.