Raiders camp Day 3 is done. Lots of TDs today as team ran red zone periods. Kirk Cousins and Brock Bowers connected on a pair of scores. Fernando Mendoza had a nice back shoulder TD to Malik Benson. First INT came as Taron Johnson picked off Cousins off Darien Porter PBU in 7on7.

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PositiveNewsJul 31, 202632BeatWriters

32BeatWriterson X

Takeaways from Day 3 of #Raiders training camp: - Brock Bowers had his way all day. - Jalen Nailor got more involved in the offense, caught a touchdown from Fernando Mendoza. - Spencer Burford and Jackson Powers-Johnson handled majority of first-team reps at two guard spots. - Taron Johnson’s versatility seems to be an asset for young secondary.

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PositiveProjectionJul 30, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

The source projects Mendoza to 'ball out and become the face of the Raiders for decades to come,' suggesting sustained elite performance and franchise cornerstone status following his Heisman Trophy-winning season and national championship victory.

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PositiveRoleJul 30, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Mendoza demonstrated clutch decision-making and execution in Indiana's national championship victory, including a critical fourth-quarter rushing touchdown where he recognized defensive alignment, pivoted outside, hurdled the center's legs, broke tackles, and stretched for the goal line to give Indiana a 10-point lead; followed by a game-clinching back-shoulder throw to Becker in tight coverage that showed improved ball placement and understanding of receiver positioning to create separation in the end zone.

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NegativeRoleJul 30, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

On fourth down in the National Championship, Mendoza executed an RPO perfectly, reading Miami's five-man box and man coverage pre-snap to favor the QB draw. When neither slot fade nor short curl routes were open post-snap, he took off, recognized the lane opening outside the hashmarks, pivoted outside, hurdled the center's legs, broke tackles, ran over a linebacker, and stretched out to get the ball in the paint for a touchdown that gave Indiana a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter—the difference in the game.

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PositiveRoleJul 30, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Mendoza made a smart decision and good throw under pressure when the defensive tackle pushed the center into his lap. With the boundary cornerback bailing and the field-side corner within five yards, he worked off his initial read to the short side of the field rather than forcing a more difficult throw to the wide side. He delivered a low, outside pass to Charlie Becker with enough arm strength to get it there despite not being able to finish the throw, and the placement actually helped the receiver keep the corner from breaking it up.

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PositiveRoleJul 30, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Mendoza showed excellent processing and decision-making under pressure in multiple instances. When the left guard got beaten quickly in pass protection and the boundary safety rotated down into the curl-to-flat zone, Mendoza recognized the pressure, came off his first read, and found the tight end on a sit/curl route right over center before taking a hit, moving the sticks and putting the offense in scoring position.

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NegativeRoleJul 30, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Mendoza missed a critical opportunity on a bootleg play when Omar Cooper Jr. got wide open near the sideline after running the defensive back over with physical contact. Mendoza came off that read for unclear reasons—possibly thinking Cooper would fall with the defender or worrying about timing—and instead forced a throw to Elijah Sarratt who was double covered, turning what should have been an easy first down into a third-and-long situation.

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NegativeRoleJul 30, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Mendoza has a tendency to predetermine throws and press too much, a bad habit he needs to kick in the NFL. In the National Championship, he forced multiple throws despite receivers not being open, including a throw to Charlie Becker in Cover 1 where the receiver was never open and Mendoza threw it anyway, nearly resulting in an interception in the end zone.

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NegativeProjectionJul 30, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

In the 2026 National Championship against Miami, Mendoza completed 16 of 27 passes (59.3%) for 187 yards with no passing touchdowns and no interceptions, plus a 12-yard touchdown run in a 27-21 victory. The source notes the stat line doesn't do his performance justice because his impact was much bigger than the numbers show; he was pressured on nearly 35 percent of his dropbacks according to Pro Football Focus.

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NegativeRoleJul 30, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, has arrived with the Las Vegas Raiders as part of a franchise reboot; Raiders owner Mark Davis noted that Mendoza arrives at approximately 4:30 a.m. for training, demonstrating early commitment to the team.

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PositiveProjectionJul 30, 2026FantasyPros Articles

Fernando Mendoza ranks 9th in dynasty rookie consensus rankings as a QB1 prospect; consensus average of 10.3 with standard deviation of 2.6 reflects moderate expert agreement on tier-3 status; ECR vs. ADP of +1 indicates slight market undervaluation.

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NegativeValueJul 30, 2026Fantasy Life Articles

Mendoza is mentioned as a potential landing spot for the 1.09 rookie pick in a 1QB dynasty league, suggesting he has early-round prospect value in that format.

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PositiveProjectionJul 30, 2026Silver And Black Pride

Film breakdown of championship game performance demonstrates clutch decision-making and arm placement under pressure. Mendoza executes critical back-shoulder throws to Becker in tight coverage situations, including a key throw that set up a field goal with Indiana holding a 3-point lead in the fourth quarter of the national championship. The source highlights his ability to improve ball placement and read coverage—on the second back-shoulder attempt, Mendoza places the ball toward the sideline where Becker can shield the defender, contrasting with an earlier near-interception on a similar route. His physical toughness is also evident: he hurdles the center's legs, breaks tackles, runs over a linebacker, and stretches to reach the end zone to extend Indiana's lead to 10 points. The source concludes with optimism about his NFL future: 'let's go watch Fernando Mendoza ball out and become the face of the Raiders for decades to come.'

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PositiveProjectionJul 30, 2026Silver And Black Pride

No. 1 pick of the 2026 NFL draft and Las Vegas Raiders' new quarterback delivered under pressure in the National Championship against Miami despite a modest stat line (16 of 27, 59.3%, 187 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 12-yard TD run). Pressured on nearly 35 percent of his dropbacks, Mendoza showed mixed decision-making: he forced several predetermined throws early (to Charlie Becker and Elijah Sarratt) that were never open, but later demonstrated excellent processing and arm strength under pressure, including a smart read to work off coverage and convert a difficult low throw to Becker, and a clutch fourth-down RPO decision where he recognized the draw was favored pre-snap, then executed a 12-yard TD run with heart and body control that proved to be the game-winning margin in Indiana's 27-21 victory.

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PositiveProjectionJul 30, 2026Silver And Black Pride

Film breakdown of championship game performance demonstrates Mendoza's decision-making, ball placement, and clutch execution under pressure. In critical moments late in the game, Mendoza showed poise and accuracy: he recognized defensive alignment and pivoted outside to extend plays, broke tackles and stretched for crucial first downs, and delivered a back-shoulder throw to Becker in tight coverage that set up a field goal to put Indiana in position to win. The source notes his improved ball placement on the second back-shoulder attempt—placing it toward the sideline where Becker could shield the defender—showed progression from an earlier similar throw that was nearly intercepted. His ability to execute in high-leverage situations and make winning plays in a championship game context supports projection of him becoming 'the face of the Raiders for decades to come.'

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PositiveProjectionJul 30, 2026Silver And Black Pride

No. 1 pick of the 2026 NFL draft and Las Vegas Raiders' new quarterback delivered in the National Championship against Miami despite a modest stat line (16 of 27, 59.3%, 187 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 12-yard TD run). Pressured on nearly 35 percent of his dropbacks, Mendoza showed mixed decision-making: he forced several predetermined throws early (back-shoulder to Becker, double-covered Sarratt) but demonstrated strong processing and arm strength under pressure in the second half, including a smart read to work off coverage and convert a three-deep look, plus a clutch back-shoulder throw to Becker on third-and-7 late in the game. The source notes his impact was much bigger than the stat line suggests, though he needs to eliminate his habit of predetermining throws in the NFL.

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PositiveNewsJul 30, 202632BeatWriters

32BeatWriterson X

#Raiders just wrapped up practice. It was a strong day for the offense. - Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins were solid. Mendoza completed a 25-yard pass to Deven Thompkins and then made an impressive throw near the sideline to Brandon Johnson. - Cousins avoided pressure from Crosby before completing a PA throw to Brock Bowers. -Ashton Jeanty bounced to the outside before sprinting down the sideline for a big gain. - Zeke Masses continues to split first team reps with Darien Porter. - DL Tonka...

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NegativeRoleJul 29, 2026FantasyPros Articles

Fernando Mendoza is the new quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders, replacing Brock Bowers' previous two quarterbacks. His ability to adjust quickly to the NFL is a concern for Bowers' 2026 fantasy value.

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PositiveNewsJul 29, 202632BeatWriters

32BeatWriterson X

Top takeaways from first #Raiders training camp practice: - Rookie cornerback Hezekiah Masses started team period with the first-team. - Fernando Mendoza had good command over the offense, showcased some mobility. - Good day for tight ends Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer.

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PositiveDepth ChartJul 29, 2026Ted Nguyen

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As Raiders practice opens, Fernando Mendoza is working behind Kirk Cousins, who Klint Kubiak said is the starter to begin training camp. Appears Mendoza will be working with the second unit today. [Retweeted](

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NegativeRoleJul 28, 2026Hogs Haven

No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza will compete with Kirk Cousins for the Raiders starting quarterback job, though veteran signee Kirk Cousins is expected to begin the season as the starting quarterback. Mendoza has indicated he intends for the quarterbacks to make each other better rather than compete against each other, stating 'Competing with each other [is] pushing each other to be the best quarterback we can possibly be for the Las Vegas Raiders, and to enable [us] to then win as many games as possible.'

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NegativeProjectionJul 28, 2026Silver And Black Pride

The Raiders' No. 1 pick QB is the subject of a film breakdown analyzing his performance on a big stage in the Big Ten Championship against Ohio State.

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