We asked coaches and players about their first impressions of the Raiders' rookie and No. 1 pick during OTAs.
"I didn't realize how tall he was," Tucker said of the 6-foot-5, 225-pound signal-caller. "He's very tall, and he's big. "and fresh off a stellar college football season, in which he won the Heisman Trophy and guided Indiana to its first national championship.
Tucker, however, said Mendoza came to the Raiders' facility every day as if he were an undrafted rookie, hoping to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. Being the top pick and the future face of the franchise can be a heavy burden. But during the Raiders' offseason workout program, Mendoza impressed his teammates and coaches with how he has handled the added weight on his shoulders, while displaying strong leadership qualities and relentless drive to be the best.
Even though Mendoza has made a strong impression on and off the field, the Raiders understand that he's still in the early stages of his development and have no plans to speed up the process. Whenever Cole hung out with friends and family during the offseason, a specific question came up in conversations.
"'Oh, what's Fernando like? Oh, what's he like?
' That's like the question I'm getting, I'm fielding every weekend, essentially, from whoever I'm hanging out with," Cole said. "I keep telling people is whatever you think he's like, that's exactly what he's like," Cole said. "It's not a bit. It's not an act.
"said Mendoza has been a great presence in the locker room and noticed that he has handled the transition from college to the pros well.praised Mendoza's willingness to learn and how he has been soaking up a ton of information in the meeting room and then translating it on the field. When assistant head coach Mike McCoy first met Mendoza at the scouting combine in February, he was impressed by the questions the Miami native asked.
That has continued since Mendoza has been in the building.
"That's the great thing," McCoy said. "And I think Andrew and the rest of the offensive staff have done a great job because the first year is a challenge, not just for rookies, but for everybody. There's so much information, and you're installing a system for the long haul.
" Mendoza said on draft night that he was starting at the bottom of the totem pole, and he wasn't kidding. His practice reps during OTAs and mandatory minicamp reflected as such.shared a field with the other veterans during the walk-through period while Mendoza was on a different field with the other rookies.
As the Raiders transitioned into the team period, Cousins -- a four-time Pro Bowl selection -- was the first quarterback on the field, followed by O'Connell and Mendoza. That routine continued during each practice.
"There's no magic wand where a guy can develop the type of skills necessary to be successful in the offense, particularly talking-under-center-type work or getting into a consistent rhythm and timing with your footwork," Raiders quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan said. "... He's still what to do, making sure he knows his job, and then we can start to take some of the next steps, but it's a long road a lot of work to do.
We're pleased with the work that he's been putting into this point.
" Mendoza said he's "leaps and bounds" ahead of where he was at the beginning of May. But it hasn't been easy. Similar to most rookies, he has had his good and bad days while trying to get acclimated to the next level. During the first day of minicamp, Mendoza's accuracy was on point in team drills.
He was getting the ball out quickly to his targets. The second day of minicamp, however, wasn't as pretty. Playing against and alongside some of the projected first-team players, Mendoza avoided turnovers, but he wasn't as efficient compared with the previous day..
"... I think the biggest adjustment, or one of the biggest adjustments besides the speed, is just the anticipation you have to play with at this level.
" Mendoza has impressed the coaches with his ability to make completions. Sullivan said sometimes Mendoza's footwork might not be right, or maybe his progression didn't start in the correct spot, but he has kept his poise, not panicking while finding an open target.
"He's working his tail off. He's gotten a ton better," Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said.
"With anyone coming into the league, you've got to put the work into it, and he's done that. ... The things we've asked him to improve on, he's been diligent at.
" The staff has noticed that Mendoza has adjusted to playing under center. McCoy said Mendoza has received a ton of practice reps under center and has "done a phenomenal job" in doing so after he had spent the majority of his college career in shotgun formation. Sullivan said that because most college quarterbacks don't operate primarily under center, it takes time and repetition for it to become second nature.
"His approach as a player makes much smoother," Sullivan said. "He's not concerned with anything outside of how he can push up and not pivot on his first step, how he can have consistent timing in a certain pass concept. " The Raiders are on their monthlong break ahead of training camp, and the question of when Mendoza will be named the team's starter looms large.
Kubiak has said that the best player will play in the Despite Mendoza's strides, Cousins was the best quarterback during the team's spring practices. Kubiak said Cousins has played well thus far, and they will be counting on him in the fall. Still, the Raiders won't have a definitive answer at quarterback until training camp, when the pads come on.
"You get what you can out of this time of year, and then the real evaluation comes with those 11 practices before we play that first preseason game," Kubiak said.br/]Spencer Pratt responds to L.A. mayoral race loss, says 'it's war' in new videoHelicopter with singer Oliver Tree on passenger list collides with another in Brazil, killing 6
Please follow us on Google to support us Mendoza-Fernando Nfl Las-Vegas-Raiders 19300785
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
One Dark Horse Who Should Make the Lions 2026 Roster After OTAsFormer New Orleans DE making solid first impression in Lions' offseason workouts.
Read more »
NFL OTAs Offer 3 Small Lessons About Justin Herbert’s ChargersThere are some important early lessons about the Chargers to know right now.
Read more »
Former 49ers, Raiders DE Aldon Smith Dead At 36Aldon Smith played for the 49ers, Raiders, Cowboys and Seahawks over his career.
Read more »
Former Raider Aldon Smith Passes Away at Age of 36Former Raiders defensive lineman Aldon Smith passed away yesterday at the age of 36.
Read more »