Fernando Mendoza's preseason struggles raise questions about transition to NFL

Even after winning the Heisman Trophy and leading Indiana to a historic 16-0 undated season and the program's first national championship, some questioned if Fernando Mendoza's game would translate to the NFL. Now with the preseason in the books, those questions still remain, and have intensified. 

Fernando Mendoza struggled in the Raiders' preseason finale 

Mendoza, who will start the regular season on the bench behind veteran Kirk Cousins, struggled in the Las Vegas Raiders' preseason finale on Thursday. 

While the Raiders struggled to move the ball as a team and fell 18-12 to the San Francisco 49ers, Mendoza completed only 7-of-14 passes for 57 yards. He also thew an interception and was sacked twice. 

Fernando Mendoza has failed to impress throughout the preseason 

Mendoza's most recent outing follows a similar performance, albeit in a 22-20 win over the Houston Texans, the week prior. Against Houston, Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in April's 2026 NFL Draft, went 8-of-15 for 86 yards passing, a pick and a sack. 

In his best showing, Mendoza was 10-of-16 for 97 yards and a touchdown pass, his only score of the preseason, in his NFL debut in the Raiders' preseason opener, a 27-14 defeat at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals. 

It's hard to evaluate anyone in the preseason 

Mendoza's defense is that it's tough to evaluate anyone in preseason games. Top players often don't play, and opponents are rarely bringing a max effort. However, with nothing else to go off of as far as NFL games, it's fair to wonder if Mendoza may need to endure a learning curve, especially since the type of offense he ran at Indiana doesn't always work at the next level. 

Las Vegas is fully invested in Mendoza and will likely turn to him at some point, assuming the team fails to win under Cousins, but what that will look like remains to be seen.