INDIANAPOLIS (FOX5) — Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza had high praise for his formal interview with the Las Vegas Raiders at the NFL Combine, adding that he briefly spoke with Tom Brady by phone during the meeting.
“I was lucky enough to have a formal interview with the Las Vegas Raiders,” Mendoza said. “It was a fantastic interview. The coaching staff was in there. We went over some of my previous plays, drew some plays on the board.”
Mendoza said he is aware the Raiders hold the presumptive No. 1 overall pick but is not focused on draft position.
“I know they had the perspective of the number one pick, but anything could happen in the draft,” Mendoza said. “I’m just excited for the opportunity. And whatever team drafts me, I’m going to give everything I got to them.”
Mendoza said he was able to briefly speak with Brady during the Raiders interview and described the prospect of being mentored by the seven-time Super Bowl champion as meaningful.
“When I walked into the formal interview for the Raiders, I was able to say a brief hi on the phone to Brady,” Mendoza said. “And so that was very special to me and I look forward to meeting him in person, hopefully, one day and learn from him.”
“I mean, who hasn’t admired Tom Brady?” Mendoza added. “I believe Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time by a wide margin. And to be able to have the opportunity to be mentored by him would mean so much.”
Mendoza said the Raiders’ coaching staff demonstrated a detailed approach to quarterback development that reminded him of his experience at Indiana.
“They taught me a play, and they had their whole progression of how they teach the quarterbacks to play,” Mendoza said. “And it was very similar to how my Indiana progression was. They had all the details of each play — what to do if you get a problem with each play, what’s your drop, what’s your progression.”
Mendoza outlined his approach to leading an NFL franchise, emphasizing performance and earning the respect of teammates.
“I believe with an NFL franchise, to lead it, you need equity,” Mendoza said. “You need two things to build equity. You need one to play well. And that’s where all my focus goes into. Football, football, football. If you want to lead, you first got to play well. And then second, it’s having the respect of your teammates — through work ethic, through your leadership, through your tenacity, the way you respond to mistakes.”
Mendoza reflected on his development as a quarterback, noting he was ranked 134th at his position coming out of high school.
“I was raw. I was terrible,” Mendoza said. “And so it’s all about small wins every day and all about discipline.”
He credited consistency and attention to detail for his rise, as well as his receivers at Indiana, Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Herat, who combined for 28 touchdowns this past season.
“Those guys deserve more love,” Mendoza said. “I’ve been so fortunate and lucky enough to build equity with those guys and chemistry and be able to throw to those guys all season.”
Mendoza also credited former Indiana offensive coordinator Curt Cignetti and quarterbacks coach Chan Whitmer, who is now coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for his development.
The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 23.
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