Not everything was sunshine and rainbows this offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders. They got a lot done in just a few months under John Spytek and Klint Kubiak, but this team isn't a finished product. Still, it's hard to feel upset with those two leading and Fernando Mendoza as the future under center.
Mendoza isn't your typical Raider of the past, at least if you ask legendary wide receiver Tim Brown. But that may not necessarily be a bad thing, and he may very well be the perfect quarterback for Las Vegas right now. The fact that he hasn't shined yet in offseason practices is irrelevant.
The vibe of and around Mendoza is wildly positive, and he can usher in a new era of football and leadership for the Silver and Black if all goes as expected. Veteran linebacker Nakobe Dean perfectly encapsulated this sentiment in a recent media appearance.
Nakobe Dean paints beautiful picture for Fernando Mendoza and Las Vegas Raiders
As a guest on NFL Network's The Insiders, Dean was asked about his initial impressions of the rookie quarterback, who comes off as a curator of positive energy. Dean fully supported this notion and gave a vote of confidence about the situation Mendoza finds himself walking into.
"I mean, somebody, they used the new word 'Aura.' You know, he's got a lot of aura," Dean said. "And he's like a guy with a lot of positive, infectious energy around him. He's always smiling. He's always got a smile. Every time I see him, he's got a smile on his face. He's always got something nice to say. He's always saying what's up to you, no matter what. And I've just seen it around. My first impressions of him has been great. And I think you got a coaching staff, you got an offense, you got a team that's ready to rally behind him and get the best out of him."
Now, Mendoza's "aura" isn't manufactured. He's not some ultra-flashy superstar who is unabashedly flawed and arrogant. Mendoza seemingly subscribes to my mother's school of authenticity, which is the idea that what is "cool" is being yourself.
This genuineness should serve him well in Las Vegas. According to Dean, Mendoza's fellow rookies, Kirk Cousins, Maxx Crosby and more, it already is. What better way to encapsulate that than to describe Mendoza as someone with "aura" who always has a smile on his face?
To many, mainly those outside of the organization and this great fanbase, Mendoza can come across as a bit phony. I think the reason that this perception exists is that superstars rarely, if ever, act as Mendoza does. He's like a movie character. Some think that he is simply too good to be true.
When we asked RB Kaelon Black, his former Indiana teammate, at the Senior Bowl if Mendoza is really who he projects to be on TV, though, he assured us that what you see is what you get with the quarterback. Dean's most recent words only further prove that point.
Does this mean that he'll thrive as an NFL quarterback? Not necessarily. But it doesn't mean that he won't, either. Spytek has said many times that he almost never misses on a player because of talent; that character is what they misjudge. That doesn't seem to be an issue with the former Hoosier.
If the coaching staff and team can support Mendoza as Dean claims they will, then things should get rockin' and rollin' in Las Vegas here soon. The Raiders still need to be patient with him on the field, but they can rest assured that they got the exact person they thought they did on draft night.
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