It's regarded as a lead-pipe lock the Las Vegas Raiders will make Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza the first overall pick in the draft on April 23. In some other draft classes Mendoza might not be the first quarterback drafted, let alone the No. 1 overall pick, but the Raiders are ready to welcome him with open arms.
With so much time between the frenzy of free agency and the draft, there are plenty of opinions on players and some interesting scrutiny of players. Even among all the praise he's getting, Mendoza's perceived (and however fixable) flaws are not being glossed over by analysts.
ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky has stood out lately with a unique take though. He has gone all the way, using his multi-show platform as a panelist or guest, to say Alabama's Ty Simpson is a better prospect than Mendoza. Whether he actually believes that is not up for debate, even if debate on the shows Orlovsky appears on is often manufactured.
However, we can call Orlovsky's "Simpson is better than Mendoza" evaluation process into question when it's warranted, and he has invited it again.
Dan Orlovsky has lost the plot in effort to criticize Fernando Mendoza
On Monday's edition of "The Ross Tucker Podcast", Orlovsky talked about why he's so in on Simpson and the concerns he has about Mendoza. On the latter front, he offered something that appears to be new.
"I would tell you, the stuff that has given me reservation is, one, so much of the (Indiana) offense was declared pre-snap", Orlovsky said. "When you watch their games, one of my notes, overwhelmingly, is like 'why does everybody just play them in man (coverage) it feels like'?...Here comes man, all-out man."
To fortify that particular point, Orlovsky talked about an interception Mendoza threw against Iowa last season. The Hawkeyes apparently didn't feel very compelled to change their man coverage look.
Orlovsky also referenced his viral moment on "The Pat McAfee Show" where he called Mendoza's performance in big games into question. As if Mendoza didn't have a significant role in the Hoosiers' national title run.
Simpson, of course, played in a pro-style offense at Alabama and Orlovsky surely loves that. But if college offenses weren't as generally simplifed as they are, there would never be any concern about offensive players (not just quarterbacks) being able to make a seamless transition to the NFL.
Orlovsky noting how Indiana's offense was "declared pre-snap" so much stretches the credibility of his argument against Mendoza to a point of no return. Apart from the general lameness of his argument against Mendoza and for Simpson to such extremes, it's also a sign the draft can't get here soon enough.
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