Pittsburgh’s about to host its biggest football crowd since 1947. While the city braces for half a million fans flooding in, the real talk is the final pitch these NFL-bound prospects are making before the big night. And of course, everyone’s interested in what national champion Fernando Mendoza has to say. Besides, when league GOAT Tom Brady is already in your orbit, the intrigue is unrivaled. 

When Fernando Mendoza joined the Dan Patrick Show, he confirmed he met Tom Brady during his official Las Vegas Raiders visit. Before going further, let’s be clear that the assumption outside the building is that they take the 16-0 QB and hand him the keys immediately. But inside, it’s anything but that. He called the meeting “fantastic” but he also walked out with a no sugar-coated message. 

“He gave me the message that he’s going to push me and he’s not going to be all lovey dovey,” Mendoza said. “And that if the Raiders draft me, he is going to be a mentor and wants to pour into whatever quarterback the Raiders have, whether it’s me, whether they draft somebody else or like the Raiders, they also signed Kirk Cousins.”

Fernando Mendoza isn’t walking into an empty room. He’s walking into a QB room with Kirk Cousins and Aidan O’Connell. When asked his thoughts on bringing in Cousins, he went full film junkie. As he recounted, he watched every single throw from Cousins’ Vikings season while he was at Cal from completions to incompletions after getting comparisons to him and other NFL QBs like Sam Darnold. For him, the preparation for the pro-league began early. 

“I love watching NFL ball,”  Mendoza added. “So after I was done with my process, I would watch 30 minutes or an hour of Kirk Cousins or Sam Darnold. And this past year, it was Matthew Stafford. Not saying I play like Matthew Stafford, but just someone great to learn from. And those experiences have helped me a lot as I get adjusted to the college games and to see how quarterbacks process the defense.”

The gap between college and the NFL has more to do with processing speed, patience, and humility than just arm strength. The Raiders, with their No. 1 pick, understand that and they’re not handing Fernando Mendoza anything. Fans expect instant gratification for someone who’s very likely getting drafted as the first player off the board. But maybe sometimes, the smartest move a franchise makes is to wait. After all, even Tom Brady rose from a draft afterthought to become the NFL GOAT. While Mendoza’s future might look like a slow kick off, one Ohio State product is built for immediate impact. 

How is Caleb Downs handling the draft process?

Caleb Downs isn’t pacing around waiting for the draft night but he’s keeping himself busy, bouncing between team visits and training sessions.

“I went back to Columbus, back to the roots, been training with the same people I’ve been training with for the past two years,” he told his big brother Josh on Downs 2 Business. “So I’ve been working with guys like Sonny Carnell, the same guys and going through this process together. But I’ve been on the road a lot, visiting teams, doing whatever, just staying busy. Honestly, it’s a weird time because you’re not committed to any team and you’re not doing anything necessarily. You’re finding things to take up your time and you’re just waiting on a countdown pretty much to the day. So just wait for the day.”

Caleb Downs also filled that space with competition. It doesn’t matter if it’s football, UNO, or a casual game of pool with his dad. He lost that one, by the way and he’s still not over it. That tells you about his competitive nature and the numbers already do enough talking. He had a 107-tackle freshman season under Nick Saban with a resume that screams plug-and-play NFL safety. And now, he’s pitching himself in a convincing way.

“You’re getting somebody to come in and be a change agent,” he said earlier this week. “To make an impact on the field, off the field, in your community, in your building. And then probably the best ball player on the field. That’s what you’re getting.”

The New York Giants are high on him to potentially get him at as high as No. 5. Besides, his father also has a history with the franchise and Downs is embracing that possibility of going to NY. And then there’s Jeremiyah Love. 

Jeremiyah Love makes a convincing final pitch to the NFL

If draft history shows one thing, RBs rarely go top five anymore. But everything about Jeremiyah Love’s profile screams exception. Notre Dame’s offense depended on him. He didn’t miss a single game and led the Irish 34-7 stacking multiple records. He recorded a 98-yard touchdown in the CFP and scored 21 times in a single season as a back. He played 13 straight games with a rushing TD. And still, he doesn’t laud his field wins.  

“I’m a guy that leads by example, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do when I get to the league,” he told ESPN NFL Live. “I’m going to come in with a great work ethic, a great mindset, and guys are going to feed off of that because at the end of the day in the NFL, we’re all going to be pros. So if you’re not trying to be a better version of yourself, then you’re not going to be doing much for the team because it all really starts with you.”

That’s been his whole identity. A “quiet” leader, a low-maintenance player who goes home after games, plays video games, watches anime, and resets with no drama or distractions. Teams see his value and there’s real chatter about him going as high as No. 3 to the Arizona Cardinals. If that happens, Jeremiyah Love could be the highest-drafted RB since Saquon Barkley.

That’s three NFL prospects with different paths in one shared moment. Now it just comes down to who hears their name and who changes a franchise when they do.