When it comes to the upcoming NFL draft, the Las Vegas Raiders are sitting pretty right now. They’ve got the top pick in what amounts to a one-quarterback draft in the first round, and quarterback is the Raiders’ biggest need, albeit just one among many.
As such, tonight’s CFP national championship game between the Miami Hurricanes and Indiana Hoosiers represents a rare and significant opportunity for Raiders fans to get a live look at their quarterback of the future.
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza is the belle of the quarterback ball right now, especially with Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore electing to go back to school rather than be drafted by the NFL hellscape known as the New York Jets.
So what should Raiders fans look for? How about some adversity, to start? Mendoza is playing for a team that’s dominant on both sides of the ball, so he’s had mostly clean pockets and running lanes to date.
It doesn’t seem likely that Miami will be able to change that, but it will be illuminating if they can. Mendoza may not have many clean pockets if he gets drafted by the Raiders, much less running lanes, but it would be fun to see the Hurricanes put up more fight than what we saw from Oregon in the Peach Bowl.
The ability to execute a game plan also falls into this category, but we already know Mendoza can do that. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has made his bones as one of the most demanding coaches in the college game, but his quarterback has been executing those game plans down to the last letter to date.
We’ll mention the pressure factor given that this is the national championship game, but Mendoza has already passed some serious pressure tests. The most serious one was against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game, and Mendoza led a huge comeback drive to win the game, a 7-play, 88-yard affair that he capped off with a 17-yard touchdown pass to receiver Elijah Sarratt.
This game will also be something of a homecoming for Mendoza, who’s originally from the Miami area. His family escaped from Cuba and put down roots in Miami, but the pressure of playing before even more friends and family than usual doesn’t feel like something that will rattle Mendoza.
What might rattle him is being selected by the Raiders, who have become the western version of the New York Jets these days. Mendoza probably doesn’t fully understand what he’s up against in that regard, so he should probably enjoy this last game before he becomes part of an organization that’s the opposite of everything that’s helped him become a success to date.