Quarterback Fernando Mendoza decided to skip Indiana’s White House visit so he could focus on practicing and getting ready for the season. While his former teammates were off celebrating, he was busy working in the Las Vegas heat.
The Las Vegas Raiders decided to post a video of one of his throws that showed off a perfect spiral on a deep ball. Former NFL punter and ESPN analyst Pat McAfee has been a big Mendoza supporter throughout the draft process. He got into it with fellow ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky in the pre-draft process when he said that Ty Simpson was a better prospect.
McAfee decided to take the video the Raiders posted and used it to throw shade at Orlovsky.
For his part, Orlovsky admitted that Mendoza’s throws are looking good.
“That is a lovely throw,” Orlovsky wrote in reply.
It will likely take years to know whether Mendoza or Simpson is the better NFL quarterback, but McAfee will definitely be ready to come after Orlovsky if the Raiders quarterback wins the argument.
Raiders Not Close to Naming Starting QB
It might actually take time for Mendoza to be able to show what he can do on an NFL field. No. 1 picks typically start as rookies, but the Raiders brought in Kirk Cousins this offseason.
Head coach Klint Kubiak is excited about the quarterback competition the team is set to have.
“I think the great thing that [General Manager] John Spytek did was add a really competitive room,” Kubiak told Raiders.com. “Between Kirk [Cousins], Aidan [O’Connell], and Fernando [Mendoza], those are three really excellent players right there. We’re going to coach our tails off, but no matter what, they always bring the best out of each other. So, when it’s a competitive room, it’s a good thing.”
Kubiak isn’t even close to naming a starter yet. He’s barely seen all of these quarterback practice.
“Well, I expect the guys to go out and do their job,” Kubiak said. “They always talk about a quarterback competition, but they’re competing against the defense every day. Kirk [Cousins] and Aidan [O’Connell] will get reps, Fernando [Mendoza] will get a lot of reps. We got a long way to go until we play football in September.”
Kubiak Praises Cousins
The early favorite to start is likely Cousins. He has worked with Kubiak in the past and knows the offense well.
Mendoza is the more talented player, but he’s got a lot to learn. Kubiak had some high praise for Cousins as the Raiders begin to ramp up their offseason program.
“Kirk Cousins, having his veteran leadership, a guy who has run this offense before, and has been in a lot of systems, a guy that can still play, can still move, can still throw the football really well, and he’s done a phenomenal job in these meetings,” Kubiak said. “I’ve been really impressed with Aidan [O’Connell]. You can see why he is such an intelligent, professional guy, and I think he has a ton of talent to work with as well.”
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