- Fernando Mendoza delivers a clean NFL debut: The No. 1 overall pick completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown while avoiding a turnover-worthy play across 31 snaps.
- Intermediate throws provide an early bright spot: Mendoza went 2-of-3 for 33 yards on passes traveling 10-19 yards downfield, earning a 76.1 PFF passing grade at that depth.
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Fernando Mendoza’s first taste of NFL action offered the Las Vegas Raiders plenty to build on.
The No. 1 overall pick of April’s NFL draft played 31 snaps in the Raiders’ 27-14 preseason loss to the Arizona Cardinals, completing 10 of his 16 attempts for 97 yards and a touchdown. He earned a 66.7 PFF overall grade and a 67.2 passing grade in his professional debut.
Mendoza entered after veteran Kirk Cousins led the starting offense on a touchdown drive and initially appeared to be adjusting to the speed of the game. But the rookie settled in on his second possession, eventually finding Jack Bech for a 6-yard touchdown on third-and-goal.
Mendoza earned four positive play-level grades against just one negative grade across his 31 snaps, with the lone negative coming on a missed throw to Malik Benson. He finished the night without a big-time throw, but more importantly, he avoided recording a turnover-worthy play.
Mendoza stays efficient from a clean pocket
The rookie did his best work when Arizona couldn't disrupt the pocket.
Mendoza dropped back 12 times without pressure, completing eight of 11 attempts for 77 yards and his touchdown. He earned a 70.6 clean-pocket passing grade while averaging 7.0 yards per attempt and producing a 122.2 passer rating.
His adjusted completion percentage climbed to 80.0% on those throws, and his average target traveled 8.1 yards downfield.
As with almost all quarterbacks, that efficiency dipped when Arizona generated pressure. Mendoza faced pressure on six of his 18 dropbacks, completing two of five attempts for 20 yards and taking one sack. His passing grade fell to 57.8, while his adjusted completion percentage dropped to 50.0%.
Still, there was no disastrous mistake. Mendoza didn't record a turnover-worthy play from either a clean pocket or under pressure.
Intermediate passing provides an early bright spot
Las Vegas didn't ask its rookie quarterback to consistently attack deep downfield, but Mendoza found success when he worked the intermediate level.
He completed two of three attempts between 10 and 19 yards downfield for 33 yards, averaging 11.0 yards per attempt and earning a 76.1 passing grade — his best mark at any depth.
Most of his work came underneath. Nine of his 16 attempts traveled between 0 and 9 yards downfield, and he completed seven for 58 yards and his touchdown. Those throws accounted for 56.3% of his total attempts and earned him a 65.3 passing grade.
Mendoza attempted just one pass of 20-plus yards, an incompletion 26 yards downfield. Two of his other incompletions were throwaways.
Raiders keep the passing game relatively simple
Kubiak and the Raiders didn't dress up Mendoza’s debut with an extensive menu of quarterback-friendly concepts.
Play action accounted for only three of his 18 dropbacks, and Las Vegas didn't call a screen while he was on the field. Mendoza operated without play action on 83.3% of his dropbacks, completing eight of 14 attempts for 72 yards and his touchdown while earning a 65.1 passing grade.
The limited play-action sample did produce some encouraging results. Mendoza completed both of his attempts for 25 yards, averaging 12.5 yards per attempt and earning a 67.0 passing grade.
Arizona also blitzed him on five dropbacks. He completed two of four attempts for 25 yards in those situations and earned a 57.0 passing grade. When the Cardinals didn't blitz, he went 8-of-12 for 72 yards and his touchdown, earning a 70.9 passing grade.
Mendoza was considerably harder on his performance than his grading profile suggested.
“Unfortunately, I let my teammates down today,” Mendoza said. “But it’s a growing experience. I feel like we’re all growing and it helped me show that I need to grow a lot.”
There is room for that growth. Mendoza didn't produce a big-time throw, and he struggled somewhat when Arizona created pressure. But the first night was largely clean. He protected the football, found success from a clean pocket and finished 18 dropbacks without putting the ball in harm’s way.
For a rookie quarterback taking his first NFL snaps, that represents a solid place to start.
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