Fernando Mendoza has perfect reaction to Raiders debut

Las Vegas Raiders fans finally got a glimpse of their prized No. 1 pick and quarterback of the future.

While the team dropped the preseason opener with a 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Fernando Mendoza's debut was the talk of the hour.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner looked the part in limited action, completing 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and one score. He also took a sack.

It was an overall solid performance for a young man who wasn't ready for the pros yet, and he had an interesting choice of words to describe it.

Fernando Mendoza says his debut was 'invigorating'

“Today was an invigorating experience,” Mendoza said after the game. “There aren’t many moments where you feel fully alive, and on the field, especially in the NFL atmosphere, you feel fully alive. I want to give thanks for that. It was great to get out there and get my feet wet.”

Invigorating, indeed. Given his personality and how he's carried himself, that's definitely a word he'd use to describe the feeling of taking the gridiron for the first time as a pro.

Of course, there were some up-and-down moments. There will always be growing pains for a rookie.

However, once he shook off the jitters, he looked much more poised and in control of the offense:

“At first, especially on the first drive, it felt a little sped up because of so much anticipation and excitement. However, I feel like my team and my teammates around me protected me very well and helped me. They helped slow me down, and I think it was a good experience,” Mendoza said.

The Indiana Hoosiers legend barely got to play under center in college, and that will be the biggest adjustment he'll have to make. Even so, he feels he made a strong impression and didn't disappoint the coaching staff:

“I would say they are what I thought they would be,” Mendoza added. “Especially as a quarterback, you don’t want to get too emotional because you want to be able to process, make the right checks, make the right reads.”

Mendoza is still a long shot to play in 2026, at least early on in the season. Even so, this "invigorating" debut was also encouraging.