The Las Vegas Raiders‘ front office saw Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza win the national title against the Miami Hurricanes. As a result, the next question is whether the Silver and Black will take the signal-caller No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Mendoza went 16 of 27 on his pass attempts in the 27-21 win over the Hurricanes. He also recorded 186 passing yards and one rushing touchdown.
While the Raiders mull that decision following his national title performance, former NFL player Emmanuel Acho didn’t hold back on his hopes that Mendoza can turn the Silver and Black around.
“If anybody can do [turn the Raiders around], Mendoza can do it,” Acho said on the Jan. 19 edition of “Speakeasy.” “And here’s why. It’s not because he has some unfathomable skill set. It’s that he’s a very unflappable quarterback. He’s going to go in there like a veteran. Mendoza is not going to be the guy that you got to worry about as a quarterback off the field. You can check the box of, it’s not going to be any off-the-field thing that distracts Mendoza from being great.
“Then, you think about what did he do at Indiana? He’s already had one of the most historic turnarounds we’ve ever seen at the collegiate level, which is the feeder system into the pros. If Mendoza can have a historic turnaround at the collegiate level, he has the DNA to do it at the NFL level. Turning Indiana around is a greater feat than turning the Raiders around. Turning the Raiders around is a gigantic feat.”
Fernando Mendoza Elevated Talent at Indiana
Moreover, Acho noted that Mendoza won at Indiana despite not having much elite talent. In Las Vegas, the Hoosiers’ star would have at least Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty as foundation pieces on offense. As a result, Mendoza might have the ability to uplift particular talent as he did at Indiana.
“Mendoza did this without a bunch of elite guys,“ Acho added. “I don’t know that his wide‑receiving corps is a bunch of first‑round picks. I know that his running back room is not a bunch of first‑round picks. Mendoza also did this at Indiana without a bunch of elite talent.
“His offensive line was getting rocked [against the Hurricanes]. They got absolutely butt‑whomped, and he still went out there and got the dub. So if anybody can do it, I believe Mendoza can.”
Raiders Get Another Promising Take on Fernando Mendoza
Moreover, if the Silver and Black need more convincing, ESPN’s Josh Pate gave a promising outlook. During an appearance on “The Colin Cowherd Podcast,“ Pate stated that he’s seeing a better version of Mendoza since winning the Heisman Trophy.
“The ball’s like a cannon coming out of his hand,“ Pate told Cowherd about Mendoza in the episode published on Jan. 14. “He’s making a lot of far hash-out throws, the typical NFL throws that you want to see. Made a number of them. And that particular game, I was partly on the field, partly up in the press box, so you’re getting every vantage point.
“You watched him throughout the playoff, how many times do you see a quarterback justifiably win the Heisman Trophy and then play better post-winning the Heisman? He’s played his best football in the playoff. I don’t care if this dude goes to Las Vegas; he’ll order Uber Eats six nights out of the week. There’s not an ounce of character concerns. So everything that you would want physically is there.”
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