Fernando Mendoza’s status as the presumptive first-overall pick of April’s NFL Draft is being challenged by ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, who is decidedly unimpressed with the Heisman-winning quarterback.
‘I’m through eight games [of Mendoza tape] now, and through eight games, you see good, but there’s a lot of underwhelming [footage],’ Orlovsky said Thursday on the Worldwide Leader.
‘There’s not a ton of big-time throws,’ he added.
Orlovsky stressed that Mendoza benefitted from having ‘clean pockets’ to throw from while winning a national championship at Indiana last season.
But despite the good protection, Orlovsky said, Mendoza still gets ‘spooked with his feet and becomes a runner unnecessarily’ whenever he faces pressure.
The Las Vegas Raiders have the first pick in April’s draft and are widely expected to take Mendoza, who is not throwing at the ongoing scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Fernando Mendoza is pictured warming up before winning the Big Ten Championship with IU
As expected, Fernando Mendoza is not throwing at the ongoing combine in Indianapolis
Many Raiders fans have already made their feelings known about the Hoosiers’ mendoza
Neither minority owner Tom Brady nor his college teammate and Raiders general manager John Spytek have tipped their hand as far as Mendoza is concerned.
Spytek did, however, discuss the traits he’s looking for in a franchise quarterback.
‘It’s such a hard game, your competitive spirit has to run really high,’ Spytek told reporters in Indianapolis. ‘You’ve got to be willing to play through, you know, tough circumstances and to me, it always goes back to the love of the game.
‘The guys that truly love football, they love to practice, they love to prepare, they love to watch film, they love to play hurt, so I think those things are kind of uncompromising.’
Mendoza certainly fits the bill judging by a 2025 campaign that included a game-winning throw to beat Penn State and a heroic quarterback sneak for the decisive score against Miami in the national title game.
Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks at the scouting combine in Indianapolis
According to Dan Orlovsky, Alabama’s Ty Simpson looks better on film than Mendoza
Not only did he lead the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 record, but he also tossed for 3,535 yards with an FBS-best 41 touchdown passes and just six picks.
But according to Orlovsky, it’s Alabama’s Ty Simpson who looks better on film.
‘I think through eight games, Ty Simpson’s tape at Alabama is significantly more impressive than Fernando Mendoza’s,’ the former Detroit Lions quarterback said.
Simpson went 11-4 with Alabama before losing to Mendoza’s Hoosiers in the second round of the College Football Playoff.
Since the end of their dismal 2025 season, the Raiders have fired coach Pete Carroll and replaced him with Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
The team now has a chance to pair running back Ashton Jeanty, last year’s first-round pick, with a franchise quarterback.