Not much is left for the Las Vegas Raiders to do in the pre-draft process other than to simply get to know former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza better. The Raiders haven't made an effort to meet with any of the class's other top prospects, so Mendoza will be the name on the card at No. 1.
Las Vegas already had a formal meeting with Mendoza at the NFL combine and spoke with him for an hour on Zoom, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. But the vetting, or rather the getting more acquainted with him, will continue to take place until he's formally a Raider on April 23.
With Indiana's Pro Day on Wednesday, April 1, this presents another chance for the Silver and Black's brass to spend more time with Mendoza and get to know him better. John Spytek and the front office, as well as Klint Kubiak and his staff, are taking full advantage of this opportunity.
Las Vegas Raiders expected to be in full force at Indiana Pro Day for Fernando Mendoza
Breer reported that not only will Spytek and Kubiak be on-hand in Bloomington on the Indiana University campus to watch Mendoza and his teammates run through a series of drills and tests, but that Las Vegas' decision-makers will do some wining and dining with the draft's top prospect.
"Spytek and Kubiak will fly to Indiana for Mendoza’s pro day on Wednesday, with (assistant GM Brian) Stark, (director of college scouting Brandon) Yeargan, VP of player personnel Brandon Hunt, offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan meeting them there. They’ll watch his workout, with the rest of the team, then have a whiteboard meeting and a dinner with him."
Las Vegas didn't send this many personnel to Miami's Pro Day to watch Reuben Bain Jr. or Francis Mauigoa. The Raiders didn't flood the premises at Ohio State's Pro Day to watch Arvell Reese, nor Texas Tech's to watch David Bailey or Alabama's to watch Ty Simpson.
Mendoza will soon don the Silver and Black; it is as clear as day.
Even though Mendoza is already working with Brian Griese, in Breer's opinion, Las Vegas will likely use this opportunity to effectively install segments of the playbook, or at the very least, give the young quarterback a better indication of how things will be run so he can get a head start on things.
Because next week, the Raiders will host Mendoza on a 30 visit in Las Vegas, and they'll meet with him twice more on Zoom in April. This isn't just due diligence; this is a full-on tipping of the hand. But there's no reason for Spytek, Kubiak and Co. not to do this, as nobody can get in their way.
Spytek and Kubiak both spoke with reporters this week at the NFL Annual League Meeting, and both were asked about Indiana's looming Pro Day. On Monday, Spytek was asked what he wanted to see from Mendoza during the workout and beyond.Â
"I've been to a lot of quarterback Pro Days in my career, and most of them, of the guys that are good players, are really good," Spytek admitted. "We'll go there, and we'll watch him throw the football and get a little bit of a chance to spend some time with him and visit with him a little bit more than we have. We've had a couple touch points at this point, but just looking forward to getting on campus and seeing him operate in his building and have that be a big part of the evaluation."
Kubiak was pretty much in the same camp as Spytek when asked a similar question on Tuesday. But he is looking forward to watching Mendoza throw in-person, as he didn't have the luxury of watching the Indiana stud throw live three times during the college football season as Spytek did.
"Honestly, you get to know him so well on film, there probably shouldn't be very many surprises by the time you get to that Pro Day," Kubiak said. "But seeing somebody throw the ball live and seeing the velocity comes off their wrist and how accurate they are and how they interact with the teammates that they're throwing the ball to (is important). (Seeing whether) being around scouts and GMs and coaches makes them nervous, and just seeing what their demeanor is like in a pressure situation is valuable."
Both Kubiak and Spytek, as they indicated, have watched tons of film on the young signal-caller. And while this experience at Pro Day isn't really about validating the tape, both dove into what they've already seen from Mendoza. First, Spytek spoke about Mendoza's film and skill set on Tuesday.
"I love always watching good football players. When you get a quarterback that can lead his team to a national championship and go 16-0 and do the things he did, it's always fun. And I just love watching good football players that will compete at the highest level and give everything to their team," Spytek explained. "I'm a football nerd to my core. So, anytime I get to watch good football players produce for their team, that's a lot of fun for me."
Kubiak went a bit more in-depth when talking about what he is specifically looking for in a quarterback when evaluating them throughout the pre-draft process. And it sure sounds like Mendoza checks all of Kubiak's boxes.
"I think you just want to see how good of a player they are first. That's the starting point, is just spending time watching their games. Watching how they handle two-minute drives, how they handle being down 14, how they handle being up 14, how fast they get up when they get drilled in the face," Kubiak said. "With the interviews, you'd love to see how well they can communicate and relate to other people that aren't like them. When you see them go to the Pro Day, how do they deal with the players around them? Like, what's the non-verbal communication look like? How confident do they carry themselves? Did they miss a throw? Are their eyes going in the dirt or is 'Okay, onto the next play.' Just trying to get a feel for the whole person and getting to know their strengths and weaknesses."
When Kubiak was asked about his evaluation of Mendoza, in particular, however, he gave a much more straightforward answer. And it's hard to imagine that, with this evaluation, the Raiders would even consider taking someone else.
"He's a national champion. He's a winner. He's accurate. He's quick, he's strong, he's tall. He's intelligent," Kubiak said of Mendoza.
Mendoza and his Hoosier teammates will take the field at 10 A.M. PST on April 1, and the Pro Day will be broadcast live on NFL Network. Raider Nation, gather around whatever screen you can and enjoy these stressless moments before Mendoza officially comes to Las Vegas.