Taking an underpar College Football program and take it all the way to a Natty is stuff of legends. Hence, Fernando Mendoza‘s stock is at an all-time high. Also, winning the Heisman helps, but now the quarterback is setting his sights into the next level. He sent the NFL a clear message of what’s next.
In an Instagram post, Fernando Mendoza announced that he will be entering the NFL Draft. Mendoza was already the favorite to go first overall this upcoming draft and rumors about the Raiders really wanting him had just grown more and more after the Natty.
Mendoza ended his 2025 season with a 72% pass completion, 3,535 yards, led the country with 41 touchdowns and only threw six picks. The QB also led the country with a 182.9 rate and led the Big Ten in yards per attempt too.
The Raiders need to do some work before drafting Mendoza
It’s pretty much a done deal that the Raiders will draft Mendoza. However, this team needs more than just a quarterback to go back to its winning ways. The fact is they need to find a head coach, an offensive coordinator and reestructure this thing from top to bottom.
Tom Brady is the co-owner of the team, so the rebuild will be fast, as he doesn’t like losing at football. He is in charge, alongside general manager John Spytek, of looking for a new head coach to take the reigns of the team and likely coach Mendoza for the next few years. In fact, Mendoza also hinted at his desired destination in the NFL.
The Raiders play in the toughest division in football
While some might say the NFC North is a tough division, and it is, the AFC West is just a plain war. The Kansas City Chiefs are rebounding after missing the playoffs this year but with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, they are perennial contenders.
The Broncos are playing the AFC Championship this season and there is no reason to believe that they’ll fall down all of a sudden. The other team is the Chargers, who have a top-5 QB in Justin Herbert, a top-tier HC in Jim Harbaugh, a solid roster and looking to get over the hump in the playoffs. Hence, the Raiders need to make good decisions and do them fast.