The Las Vegas Raiders dropped their preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals, 27-14, but the team got to see first overall pick Fernando Mendoza in action in an actual NFL game for the first time. The rookie completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and one touchdown. He’s not going to start in Week 1 of the regular season, yes. But his debut surely raises the question of whether Mendoza is worth the hype he carried throughout the offseason.

Former ESPN veteran Colin Cowherd, however, offered a brief assessment of Mendoza, praising him as a passer and comparing him to Dallas Cowboys signal-caller Dak Prescott.

“I look at Mendoza, and I just think all the intangible stuff. I mean, Dak was never a beautiful thrower of the football, but Dak was so good at the intangibles,” said Cowherd on his podcast. “His tangibles were okay. So, to me, I think Mendoza is a better throwing version of Dak, where you’re just getting passion, maturity, (and) leadership.”

Whether one agrees with the above assessment is subjective. But as a prospect, there is enough evidence that Prescott entered the league with more concerns around his passing consistency than Mendoza. A pre-draft scouting assessment revisit by CBS Sports described Prescott as a “work in progress as a passer,” noting inconsistent footwork and a tendency to lose accuracy when his feet were not set.

Another pre-draft study film from Matt Waldman’s Rookie Scouting Portfolio highlighted Prescott’s struggles with ball placement and anticipating passing windows. But Prescott has established himself as the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback, while earning four Pro Bowl nods and leading the league in touchdown passes during the 2023 season.

Colin Cowherd, meanwhile, believes Fernando Mendoza is a better throwing version of Prescott ahead of his rookie season. In his final college year at Indiana, Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a national championship, completing 71.5% of his passes, throwing a nation-leading touchdown passes, 2980 yards, and just six interceptions.

However, Cowherd isn’t saying that Mendoza has a Josh Allen-level cannon. Mendoza’s own pre-draft evaluations were more nuanced, with one film study viewing his arm as functional rather than elite. But the same analysis found that he could make the full range of NFL throws from a clean platform, a more polished passing profile than the one Prescott was entering the league with.

Still, the Raiders are not eager to throw Mendoza straight into the fire in the 2026 season. The team has confirmed Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback ahead of the regular season opener. Whether Mendoza gets an opportunity this season to make his first career start remains to be seen. For now, expect the rookie to return in action against the Houston Texans in the second preseason matchup.