Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, just wrapped up his preseason with an outing against the San Francisco 49ers that truly underlined why veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins is slated to start. This final preseason Week 3 clash was supposed to be a golden opportunity for Mendoza to get some serious playing time before the 2026 NFL season kicks off. Raiders coach Klint Kubiak actually rolled out Cousins for the first two drives before turning the reins over to Mendoza, who played all the way until the start of the fourth quarter when Aidan O’Connell took over. After a strong debut and a less-than-stellar second showing, Mendoza’s performance in the finale put all his early career limitations on full display. It’s pretty clear why Las Vegas brought in Cousins to bridge that gap.
Rookie Struggles on Full Display
Mendoza’s final preseason game didn’t give fans much to cheer about. Over two quarters, and a bit into the third, the rookie quarterback looked exactly like a player still trying to adjust to the speed of NFL football. He was practically married to the checkdown pass, overthrew his targets multiple times, and was late on a bunch of throws. The dude took a couple of sacks and, to make matters worse, threw an interception on just his second snap of the game. It was a tough watch, honestly. His previous efforts had shown some promise, but this last game seemed to unravel some of that early confidence, showcasing that the No. 1 pick has a real journey ahead of him.
O-Line Woes and Confidence Hits
Now, to be fair, evaluating Mendoza was tricky because the Raiders’ offensive line had some serious depth issues. Was he taking sacks because he couldn’t get the ball out fast enough, or because the line was just letting guys run free? The answer was a mix of both. There were certainly moments where Mendoza was late on his throws, which definitely led to some of those overthrows and incompletions. But you also saw plenty of blown blocking assignments right in front of him. After that early interception, it seemed like Mendoza lost a bit of his willingness to push the ball downfield. He started emphasizing progressing through all his reads, which often led him right to his final checkdown option, especially in the third quarter. That meant fewer intermediate and deep targets as the game went on; he just hesitated to pull the trigger on those earlier reads in his progression. The most net yards the Raiders got on a single Mendoza-led play? A questionable 19-yard pass interference call.
This final preseason game for Fernando Mendoza was a tough one, no doubt. But it really hammers home why the Raiders were smart to bring in Kirk Cousins to lead the offense. For Mendoza, it means hitting the books, learning behind a proven veteran, and getting ready for whenever his number truly gets called. The 2026 NFL season is about to kick off, and it looks like the No. 1 pick has a real journey ahead to get where he needs to be.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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