The block around Fernando Mendoza’s home in Coral Gables, Florida, was cordoned off early Thursday afternoon and the pig roast, a roast pig to Cubans like the Mendozas – was in the Chinese Box all day.
No, Mendoza didn’t make it to Pittsburgh for the 2026 NFL draft. But his family’s recruiting party in South Florida was, by all indications, epic.
And so it should be because it was fitting that Mendoza was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the first overall pick in the draft.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza speaks to the media during media day for the College Football Playoff National Championship game at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida, on January 17, 2026. (Leonardo Fernández/Getty Images)
“The last five months have been a blessing from God, I can’t thank him enough,” Mendoza said in his first interview after being selected. “I’m looking forward to getting to work and getting better at the next level. College was fantastic. I’m very blessed to have that career.
“But now I’m entering a big game, the NFL, and I hope to prove it and earn it every day.”
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Not bad for a kid who used to occasionally confess to family, friends and teammates, “I don’t imagine myself being a high draft pick.”
That all changed when Mendoza transferred to Indiana University ahead of the 2025 season, and from that unlikely power in college football emerged the unlikely Heisman Trophy winner, national championship-winning quarterback and No. 1 draft pick.
The Raiders used only one or two minutes of their allotted eight before turning in their card to the NFL for Mendoza.
Only in the United States.
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The Raiders believe in Mendoza. But the Raiders organization is plagued by quarterback mistakes in recent history.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza passes against Miami during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The club brought in Geno Smith to make it a contender last season under coach Pete Carroll. Smith led the NFL with 17 interceptions, Carroll was fired, and the team was so bad that it “earned” the first pick in this draft.
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Before that, Gardner Minshew failed as a bridge quarterback and Aidan O’Connell didn’t develop into a reliable starter.
Before that, Jimmy Garoppolo signed as a free agent, but was often injured and inconsistent when healthy. He started only six games in 2023 and was released the following offseason.
Before that, it was Derek Carr, mostly functional during his time, who was benched in 2022 and eventually released.
You get the point. It’s been a while since Ken Stabler, Jim Plunkett or even Rich Gannon won a Super Bowl for the franchise.
Mendoza is expected to change that sad narrative. But it won’t necessarily be immediately. The Raiders signed veteran Kirk Cousins earlier this offseason as a bridge starter while Mendoza learns and develops.
The rookie will have some time. But not forever.
A closer look inside the NFL Draft Theater from outside Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 22, 2026. (IMAGN/Beaver County Times)
He has been selected to lead a legacy franchise back to glory. But that won’t be an easy task because other franchises will get votes if this happens.
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Mendoza goes to the AFC West where it is impossible to win without excellent quarterback play.
The Kansas City Chiefs have owned the division since Patrick Mahomes became their starting quarterback in 2018. They won it seven straight times until falling back last season.
The Denver Broncos won the division last season because they have one of the NFL’s rising quarterbacks in Bo Nix, who came close to a 4,000-yard season in 2025.
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The Los Angeles Chargers made the playoffs a season ago and Justin Herbert routinely ranks among the league leaders in passing yards (ninth last year) and touchdown passes (tied for seventh).
Now the Raiders respond with Fernando Mendoza, officially the number one pick in the 2026 draft.
