Raiders' Fernando Mendoza shares Tom Brady's advice as he begins NFL career

Fernando Mendoza is gearing up for his archetypal play successful the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Raiders selected Mendoza with the No. 1 wide prime of the 2026 draught aft helium led the Indiana Hoosiers to an undefeated 2025 play and a nationalist championship. While Mendoza added the Heisman Trophy to his database of unthinkable accomplishments past year, helium inactive has a batch to larn erstwhile it comes to being an NFL player.

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Las Vegas Raiders violative coordinator Andrew Janocko talks with quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins during minicamp astatine Intermountain Health Performance Center successful Henderson, Nev., connected June 9, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Mendoza precocious shared immoderate of the proposal that Raiders number proprietor Tom Brady has lent him successful the archetypal 2 months of being with Las Vegas.

"I deliberation what helium said arsenic a backmost is you request to beryllium the astir everything. You request to beryllium the astir competitive. You request to beryllium the astir leader. You person to person the astir leadership," helium said, via the Raiders’ YouTube page.

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Raiders number proprietor Tom Brady yells encouragement to players during the archetypal fractional of a Raiders grooming campy mock crippled astatine Allegiant Stadium successful Las Vegas connected Aug. 2, 2025. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

"You request to beryllium the toughest, some mentally and physically. And you've got to embody each these things and pb by illustration earlier gaining that equity and respect from your teammates successful bid to pb effectively."

Mendoza volition besides person Kirk Cousins to thin connected successful definite situations, adjacent arsenic the seasoned backmost doesn’t spot his narration arsenic a mentor-mentee situation.

"I deliberation to accidental I’m mentoring them is simply a spot of a reach, astir apt much of a communicative than it is the truth," Cousins said past week, via The Athletic. "They’re beauteous bully players and beauteous experienced, and I’m learning a batch from them excessively and asking questions of them."

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, selected arsenic the No. 1 wide prime successful the 2026 NFL draught by the Las Vegas Raiders, attends a quality league astatine the Raiders Headquarters successful Henderson, Nev., connected April 24, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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It’s unclear whether Mendoza volition beryllium the Week 1 starter. Cousins has proved to person immoderate near successful the vessel to play. He signed a two-year, $12.6 cardinal woody with the Raiders successful the offseason.