Fernando Mendoza Slapped With Brutal Reality Check As He Enters First Training Camp With Raiders
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Fernando Mendoza’s rookie season is about to get real. The No. 1 overall pick reported to the Las Vegas Raiders’ training camp at the Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson, Nevada, this week, kicking off the next phase of his development behind veteran Kirk Cousins.
Mendoza enters camp without a starting job locked up, and that’s by design. The Raiders have made it clear that Kirk Cousins is likely to open the season under center, giving Mendoza time to adjust to the pro game before he’s thrown into the fire.
Fernando Mendoza’s Camp Comes With A Detailed Development Plan
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, new head coach Klint Kubiak plans to bring Mendoza along carefully, though the rookie will still get a taste of the first-team offense throughout camp.
“It does sound like the Raiders will sprinkle Mendoza in with the first team this summer,” Breer reported, “with Cousins’ extensive background in the scheme giving them more flexibility to do so – as part of the rookie’s larger development plan.”
Mendoza has embraced the structured approach the Raiders laid out for him since arriving in Las Vegas back in April.
“The start of training camp past OTAs, we’ve talked about that. We have a June plan and July plan,” Mendoza explained. “My job is to try to exceed those mile markers every single day.”
That patience has been visible throughout the offseason. Mendoza mostly worked with the second and third-team units during OTAs and minicamp, even as coaches consistently praised his leadership and quick decision-making in the meantime.
Fernando Mendoza Has Already Built A Following In Las Vegas
Off the field, Mendoza has quickly become one of the most talked-about rookies in the league, more so after a viral moment introducing himself to Tom Brady during the pre-draft process.
Mendoza arrives in Las Vegas after a historic college run, throwing for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns while leading Indiana to a perfect 16-0 season and a national championship, a résumé that earned him the Heisman Trophy. He remains one of six 2026 draft picks still unsigned heading into camp, but that hasn’t slowed the buildup around his first professional training camp.
With rookies already on the field and veterans set to join five days later, the next few weeks will offer the clearest look yet at how much of a role Mendoza will play before Week 1 arrives.
