Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza has quickly made a favorable impression on head coach Klint Kubiak since being drafted first overall less than a month ago.
"(He has) not disappointed," Kubiak said Wednesday, according to ESPN's Ryan McFadden. "He's working his tail off. It's very important to him that he asks a lot of great questions when he gets on the field. He's no B.S.; he's all ball."
Kubiak added that Mendoza has been "as advertised."
Mendoza is transitioning to the NFL after authoring a storybook ending to his collegiate career, guiding Indiana to a 16-0 season that culminated in the Hoosiers' first national championship. His stellar play in 2025 also earned him the Heisman Trophy, as he passed for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 72% completion rate.
The 22-year-old passer is adjusting to the NFL, taking snaps under center during the team's rookie minicamp earlier in May after spending most of his collegiate career lining up in shotgun.
"Having such a genius offensive mind running such a coherent and complementary system is a really good place, really good situation to be in as a quarterback," Mendoza said during minicamp, per McFadden.
Veterans Kirk Cousins and Aidan O'Connell took reps ahead of Mendoza during Wednesday's team period at OTAs.
Cousins is considered the front-runner to begin the season as the starter. The 37-year-old is familiar with Kubiak's offensive system after the pair previously worked together during Kubiak's stint with the Minnesota Vikings (2019-21) as the QBs coach and offensive coordinator.
Kubiak described Cousins as the team's leader but praised each of his passers for being coachable, including his rookie quarterback.
"Anything that you put in front of (Mendoza), he's going to attack it," Kubiak said.
The Raiders open the regular season against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium.
